We have done a lot in the name of European integration and in the name of a European future, but we are still where we were 20 years ago. We cannot change the Constitution for the umpteenth time without a clear message and results from the Bulgarian side. This is a two-way street. If one side keeps doing its part and the other does nothing, then there is no point.

This was stated by North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski at a joint press conference with European Council President Antonio Costa in Skopje, BGNES reported.

"Costa expressed the EU's position. We have heard it and I suppose we will continue to listen to it... A proposal signed in 2022 by the previous SDSM and DUI government to suspend Parliament, as a two-thirds majority is required to amend the Constitution. You know how what was accepted was accepted. Our position is clear and principled – we cannot accept this without seeing goodwill and agreement from our neighbouring country. No one has a problem with the Croats, Montenegrins, Slovenians and others being part of the Constitution, because we have principled relations with these countries, even with the Portuguese, Spanish and French. We cannot change the Constitution for the umpteenth time without a clear message and result from the Bulgarian side. This is a two-way street. If one side constantly fulfills its obligations and the other does not, then there is no point,“ said Mickoski, adding:

”I expect a two-way process, if possible. We, as a country, have done a lot in the name of European integration and in the name of a European future. We changed our flag, we changed our name, we changed our constitution like no one else before us. Yes, the road is disappointing and difficult, but for us it is extremely disappointing and difficult, and it has not even begun yet. We are still where we were 20 years ago.“

”Silyanovska has already had meetings with her colleague from Bulgaria, and I am always ready to go to Brussels to sit down and talk," Mickoski added.

When asked whether he was abandoning the idea of constitutional changes with “deferred action” and whether a “creative interpretation of the Negotiating Framework” would be sought for negotiations with the EU, Mickoski replied:

"I will repeat: as I did then, I still hold the same position today that the process of European integration must be based on values, not bilateral issues. Unfortunately, the previous government accepted such a bilateral issue as part of our European future. I will not accept this and will fight with all my strength until we find a way out of the process we are currently in. I cannot in good conscience stand before the Macedonian people and tell them that the Constitution will be changed, forgetting that there are at least 14 rulings from Strasbourg on the Macedonians on the other side of the border that Bulgaria refuses to implement. An EU member state is still questioning my native language and identity. When we have a clear position from the EU and all member states on the centuries-old Macedonian language and identity and a genuine desire to be part of the European family, but also respect for European institutions such as the ECHR, then I am here, ready to discuss everything at any time. Let's show that we can do it, we will walk the path together. Solving problems is about identifying the problems," said the Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia in the presence of Kosta. | BGNES