MEP Andrei Kovachev states that people who want to obtain Bulgarian citizenship must be photographed in front of the Bulgarian flag and coat of arms.
“To obtain citizenship, they proved their Bulgarian origin and signed a document declaring that they feel like ethnic Bulgarians. A ceremony with a photo for institutional commemoration in front of the flag and coat of arms should be introduced as a sign of respect and solemnity, and there should also be transparency through a public register,” Bulgarian MEP Andrei Kovachev said of the people who received Bulgarian passports and citizenship, thus proving their Bulgarian roots.
In an interview with “24 hours.bg”, the MEP, who comes from the ruling GERB party, spoke about Macedonia and our European path. According to him, for the first time, the European Commission is giving specific years for the completion of negotiations: for Montenegro 2026, for Albania 2027, for Moldova and Ukraine 2028.
“And it clearly acknowledges that North Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are lagging behind. This means that Macedonia is failing to make progress either in reforms or in terms of European integration. Because the government was busy winning the local elections. OBRM-PDUKM won convincingly, but jeopardizing the European integration of its citizens with a quasi-nationalist campaign against what the state itself accepted in the negotiating framework, the inclusion of Bulgarians in all parts of the Constitution and the implementation of the agreement with Bulgaria, along with the protocols,” Kovachev stressed.
Asked whether he believes that Macedonia’s policy will change or that Bulgaria will again exert pressure from Europe to accept Skopje’s position, the MEP said that it is “absurd to believe in such a thing.”
“European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos have repeatedly reiterated that the RMV must meet the conditions it has accepted. We have seen positive signals with the signing of the agreement between the two transport ministries in Gjushevo for the construction of the joint tunnel at the border and the completion of the railway connection between Skopje and Sofia, which is also part of Corridor 8, an extremely important connection not only for trade, for tourism, but also for defense, the connection between the Adriatic and the Black Sea,” Kovachev stressed./Telegraph/