Buckovski: Disputes with Bulgaria must be resolved by the end of the year
The chances for resolving the disputed issues with Bulgaria by the end of the year will be stable and the government of the Republic of Northern Macedonia will be stable, said the former special representative of the Republic of Northern Macedonia for negotiations with Bulgaria Vlado Buckovski. decision and this ceases to be optimistic and the probability of the Greek scenario happening is high.
In an interview with Macedonian TV Channel 5, he said that at the end of 2020 the two countries were very close to finding a solution “This was before the New Year 2021. We were close in our views with the liberal part of the Bulgarian government. And then the 5 + 1 plan was on the table. I think the serious approach to the decision. The emphasis was on the points that can be solved. Borissov then said that two of the demands were important to him and that he should work on them with Zaev – the short and long name and the claims to the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria. Enigma remained because our enthusiasm subsided a few months before the elections in Bulgaria. And it fell more from our country than from theirs. It was as if we were waiting, fearing that a possible contract could be used in the election campaign. And unfortunately we found ourselves in a situation where we did not believe we would fall – eight months in Bulgaria there will be no decree and so the whole year 2021 passed without serious progress and now we are back to the beginning regarding the 5 + 1 package. ” said Buckovski.
What, according to the former Prime Minister of the Republic of Northern Macedonia, is pleased with the road map, is all that was created by the governments of the two working countries at the time of the defense. He is convinced that there will be success in this regard. Buckovski cites a study by Alpha Research, according to which the new approach in Bulgaria’s relations with the Republic of Northern Macedonia is supported by 31% of respondents, and 49% are in favor of firm positions in resolving the dispute. According to him, this is a move forward in just one month of meetings and could lead to a more favorable atmosphere.
“Unlike the Macedonian media, where I can count on my fingers those who publicize analyzes or articles with more rational thinking and seeking compromise, in Bulgaria the floor is given daily to intellectuals who say that the country should to change the approach “- claims Buckovski.
According to him, to enable the joint historical commission to work calmly. Her work should not be stopped, but become more intensive, at least in terms of what is written in textbooks in both countries. “For those people who have been agreed upon in the historical commission, one of the things that needs to be done is to announce soon the wording that the commission has reached. These are four historical figures, because for Tsar Samuel there is an understanding only of how to celebrate each other, “Buckovski said.
According to him, it is important for the historical commission to adhere to what is written in the friendship agreement between Bulgaria and the Republic of Northern Macedonia. “Nowhere in the contract does it say that the common history means Bulgarian history until 1945. The task of the politicians is to clarify what they both understand by the common history. “- said Buckovski and added that what happened on February 4 at the grave of Gotse Delchev in the church” St. Spas “is a step backwards. “Thousands of policemen, atmosphere – something will happen and then when the police withdrew, they faced fans tearing the ribbons from the Bulgarian wreaths – this must be judged from the position,” he said.
“When the commission stopped working, it was when Zaev resigned after the veto in France. It is not only the Bulgarian veto when you ask if there is an obstacle to enlargement. Half of the European Commission will tell you that Bulgaria is not alone in this game. Our limits of tolerance have been exhausted, but we have no other way and we must find a solution. In Bulgaria, too, it is clear that a way must be found by June. Or if not by June, by the end of the year, during the Czech Presidency, it is a reasonable time. After that, I will be pessimistic and we will enter the Greek scenario of freezing the dispute for many years, “Buckovski said.