The statement was made hours before the key meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels.
I will never initiate changes to the Constitution until the European Council and Bulgaria fulfill our conditions.
This was stated by the Prime Minister of North Macedonia regarding the start of negotiations for the EU membership of the Republic of Macedonia. According to the negotiating framework approved by all EU member states, North Macedonia must amend its Constitution in order to begin the negotiation process. This condition has been stated repeatedly by all officials, including EC President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, BGNES reported.
The statement was made hours before the key meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels, which will be attended by the ministers for European affairs of the European Union member states. In the draft conclusion, the European Council calls on North Macedonia to fulfill its obligation and make constitutional changes in order to continue the negotiation process.
The General Affairs Council meeting is the final ministerial step before the meeting of heads of state and government. Ministers will discuss and finalize the text reflecting the EU’s official position on the reforms and progress achieved by the countries seeking membership (including Ukraine, Moldova, the Western Balkans, Georgia, and Turkey).
“On our part, there are two constant, unchanging things. It is not fair, and none of us should expect this government to initiate changes to the Constitution without these two things being fulfilled: First, we must have clear guarantees from the European Council that none of those at this table have any objection to the centuries-old Macedonian identity, that the Macedonian language will be an official language, and that there will be no more bilateral issues, but that the process will be guided by the Copenhagen criteria. This must happen at all costs. The second thing is that if we comply with all the capitulations and betrayals of previous politicians, then our eastern neighbor must at least comply with everything it has accepted in terms of protecting human rights, and that means allowing the registration of non-governmental organizations, such as “OMO Ilinden-Pirin,” in accordance with the 14 judgments issued by the Strasbourg court. That is the least it can do for us to have confidence in this process. We cannot enter into a process that is not transparent and will not have a successful outcome. It will not happen. We do not want mercy,” the North Macedonian prime minister told local television station “Sitel.”
According to him, “citizens were disappointed because they gave a lot for integration – a name, a flag, banknotes, several changes to the Constitution.” Every time one condition is met, a new one comes along. I can no longer expose the country to something like this,” he added.
He stated that there had been initiatives by influential EU member states and European politicians for bilateral talks between Skopje and Sofia, but they had been unsuccessful. Â “There were initiatives from many influential EU member states and even very influential politicians in Brussels to organize a meeting at which ministers would discuss bilateral issues, such as foreign affairs. Imagine, these initiatives were unsuccessful. There was no response from the other side,” the North Macedonian prime minister added. | BGNES