BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 16. The Bulgarian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Ambassador of the
Slovak Republic to Sofia, Vasil Grivna, following statements made
by Slovak President Peter Pellegrini during his visit to North
Macedonia, Trend reports.
The comments included assessments deemed unacceptable by
Bulgaria regarding North Macedonia’s European integration
process.
Yordan Parvanov, Director General for European Affairs,
expressed Sofia’s strong concern over President Pellegrini’s
remarks, which effectively questioned the validity of the European
Consensus of July 2022, adopted by all EU member states, including
Slovakia.
Bulgaria expressed disappointment that a partner country would
promote what it described as “counterproductive rhetoric” by the
North Macedonian government, which it says is seeking to assign
blame for delays in the country’s EU accession process. According
to Sofia, such a stance is not in the interest of either the EU’s
strategic vision for the region or the citizens of North
Macedonia.
The Bulgarian MFA reminded its partners in Bratislava that
progress toward EU membership depends solely on a country’s own
efforts to meet established criteria and fulfill agreed-upon
commitments.