Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova said Sofia remains firmly committed to the framework agreed with North Macedonia in 2022 and warned that Skopje should focus on meeting its obligations instead of deepening political tensions with Bulgaria.
Speaking to Bulgarian National Television, Petrova stressed that the issue is not a bilateral dispute, but part of North Macedonia’s obligations as a candidate for European Union membership. “This is not about bilateral issues, but about relations between a candidate country and the European Union,” she said.
According to the foreign minister, Bulgaria continues to maintain what she described as a constructive and positive tone in communication, although she expressed disappointment with the political approach coming from Skopje. “I hope to find the political maturity on the other side to try to approach it in this way. I often do not see it,” Petrova stated.
She emphasized that Bulgaria’s position has not changed since the adoption of the so-called French proposal in 2022, which laid out the framework for North Macedonia’s EU path. Petrova described the agreement as a European rather than purely Bulgarian position and called it one of the major diplomatic achievements of that period.
