The President of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, said today that the commitment to include Bulgarians in the country's constitution was accepted with the adoption of the negotiation framework, BTA reported.

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Relations Bulgaria - Republic of Macedonia 943

"Those who think they can make a better negotiation framework do not know the procedures in the EU", added the head of state of the Balkan country.

"If someone can negotiate a better negotiating framework, I will be the first to congratulate them, but I assure them not to try to do so, because there will be no chance of renegotiating something that has been agreed with 27 member countries of the EU, including Bulgaria," Pendarovski pointed out.

According to him, the only way to achieve a two-thirds majority in the parliament is to talk to the opposition and to demonstrate with arguments that the very act of including the Bulgarians and other communities in the constitution "in no way threatens Macedonian independence, sovereignty and the European way" of the country.

Pendarovski indicated that he hopes the working group, which will prepare the specific proposals for changes in the constitutional texts, will do so "fairly quickly" and they will enter a parliamentary procedure.

"If there is not a two-thirds majority in parliament by the end of November, we will be blocked, this time by our own decision."

If the opposition decides not to participate in the working group or the Committee on Constitutional Affairs in the Parliament, it is clear that even if I try to organize a conversation, they will not join it.

I think they are wrong.

I urge them to get involved at the expert and political level and make their case.

When you face the arguments on both sides, I guess they have them too, you will see that we are talking about things we did 22 years ago.

We have established standards for the protection of minorities, we here call them parts of nations, so there is no dispute that if we add two or three more communities that live here, regardless of their number, the Bulgarians are about 3500 people, North Macedonia for sure shall not fail'

When asked whether new conditions can be expected to be imposed on the country during the negotiation process, Pendarovski replied that it should not be, but no one could have predicted the conditions that Bulgaria has set in the last two years.

The Foreign Minister for North Macedonia: The ball is in their court, I hope they come to their senses

"Because there was a complete consensus, in which the Bulgarian government participated in 2017, 2018, 2019, when with changes in the constitution we added the North to Macedonia, there was a general consensus that there would be no new demands. And now the logical question is, if we make these constitutional changes, will tomorrow or the day after tomorrow some other member or country that blocked us 2.5 years ago not remember to make a new request? I hope such things do not happen", Pendarovski said.

He also stated that the EU itself should not allow any member state to problematize someone's entry into the bloc: With something that has nothing to do with the real criteria, values ​​and principles for which it was created and for which it exists.

"Blocking a country because of historical issues is illegal and should not be allowed in modern Europe," Pendarovski said during a press conference with his Austrian counterpart Alexander van der Bellen in Skopje.

"It makes sense and it is necessary for the Republic of North Macedonia to make changes to its constitution," said the guest.

"You have made a difficult but correct choice, your future is in the EU.

We have good feedback on the screening process that is currently taking place and we encourage you to make the changes to the constitution, after which the EU accession process will go according to plan," said the Austrian president.

He declined to comment on the country's internal political differences over constitutional changes, but said he would urge all political groups in parliament to think about the long-term risks.

Van der Bellen pointed out that the changes in the constitution "should not be dramatized".

Relations Bulgaria - Republic of Macedonia