President Radev on North Macedonia: I urge Bulgaria's Council of Ministers not to hide behind the Parliament, it is the leading institution

The issues of power should not shift the focus of our politicians from the agenda of the Bulgarians, which is clear, Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev said, speaking to journalists in Plovdiv on June 22. He focused on several very important things regarding the Republic of North Macedonia.

The French proposal regarding Bulgaria’s veto for the start North Macedonia’s EU accession talks was sent to the Foreign Policy Committee

We would not have received the French proposal, which is the best so far, if Bulgaria had not defended the veto in two enlargement councils with a clear position last year. Our European partners already share this position - that the issue of civil rights, of defending and protecting them, cannot just be a bilateral issue between the RNM and Bulgaria, but must be raised at EU level.

The President urged the Bulgarian politicians not to rush to declare a historic victory because the change in the Constitution is not the last but the first step on the path of integration.

It should be clear that this process is based on two important documents - the first is the negotiating framework, which is a commitment and is being developed by the EU. The second is the bilateral protocol, which is our commitment and is set as an integral part of the negotiating framework.

Radev specified that he supports the French proposal as a negotiating framework, but it depends on the bilateral protocol.

Currently, the proposed bilateral protocol does not provide sufficient guarantees for the protection of our interest, the President believes.

He called on the relevant institutions to put the missing arguments in the bilateral protocol.

I call on the Council of Ministers not to hide behind the Parliament – Council of Ministers is the leading institution and we expect it to have clear and responsible decisions in this direction.

For the politicians in the Republic of North Macedonia, he said it is time for leadership, courage and responsibility.

On the political developments in the country, Radev said he is waiting for talks. The issue of power is not the main one in the country, there are many other problems and they have to be solved responsibly.

The Head of State opened a national conference "Sacred Language" at the Paisii Hilendarski University in Plovdiv. The forum is organized on the initiative of Vice President Iliana Iotova and is dedicated to the teaching, preservation and prospects of the Bulgarian language in the country and abroad.