The position of the Republic of Bulgaria is clear - we have no bilateral issue with the Republic of Macedonia.

This is what Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said from the parliamentary tribune and recalled that last week the National Assembly unanimously adopted a decision on the progress of North Macedonia on the path towards the European Union (EU), BGNES reported.

All the issues with North Macedonia have been resolved with the 2017 Neighbourhood Treaty, as the negotiating framework for the accession of the North Macedonia to the EU is based on the so-called compromise French proposal during the French presidency, where the requirements to be met by the candidate member North Macedonia are clearly stated and their compliance is carried out within the negotiating process, which is not a bilateral issue between Bulgaria and the North Macedonia, Zhelyazkov stressed.

The Prime Minister explained that as far as the progress report and the state of North Macedonia are concerned, all the facts regarding the role of the rapporteur of the same, as well as all the questions about why there has not been such a report in recent years, which has been postponed many times and the postponement in a foreign affairs committee of the European Parliament (EP) the other day is not a precedent, are not a matter of our bilateral relations.

"Our position on the findings in the report are very clear - they involve not only Bulgaria and the whole role in terms of the wording in the report belongs to the MEPs. Our representatives from all the groups that represent and are elected by the Bulgarian voters as members of the Bulgarian delegation in the EP and their unanimity as well as the declaration of the Bulgarian National Assembly is a very clear indicator of what is the position of the Republic of Bulgaria regarding the draft report," he said.

In this sense, Zhelyazkov is adamant, we will stick to this position and do it with the necessary means without turning this issue into a bilateral one. | BGNES