NEWS

Radev urges the state and political leadership of North Macedonia not to waste historical time in the process of its European integration

 

The constructive dialogue at the highest level set by the presidential institutions of Bulgaria and North Macedonia should be adopted at the level of the executive and the parliament. This is what President Rumen Radev said at a meeting with President Gordana Siljanovska in Baku on the sidelines of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29). The talks were held at the initiative of North Macedonian President and were a continuation of the meaningful and constructive meeting of the two heads of state in Sofia in September this year.

 

President Radev called on the state and political leadership of North Macedonia not to waste historical time in the process of its European integration, to demonstrate political will and as soon as possible to implement the European Consensus of 2022 and, in accordance with the negotiating framework, to start accession negotiations with the European Union. For her part, President Siljanovska analysed the positions of North Macedonia in the European integration process.

 

According to the Head of State, besides positive signals in the bilateral relations, the presidential institutions of both countries can also support concrete pragmatic actions in various areas. Rumen Radev highlighted the promotion of contacts between businesses and mutual investments, bilateral cultural exchanges and tourism. The Bulgarian President also called for an enhanced dialogue between the institutions and for the exchange of information in case of hate speech in the public media and in textbooks in our south-western neighbour and for a timely reaction to eradicate it.

 

The official visits at the highest level between Bulgaria and North Macedonia should contribute to the deepening of the political dialogue as well as to the all-round development of bilateral relations, the holding of business forums and media exchanges, the two presidents further noted during the meeting.

The two were unanimous that restoring peace in Europe through diplomacy is a priority for the EU and the only way to ensure the long-term security and stability of the Old Continent.

The President recalls that the institution of the Special Commercial Administrator (SCA) was introduced by an Act adopted in 2023, which also established a number of safeguards against potential abuse and arbitrariness — safeguards of the kind already adopted in other European states faced with similar circumstances, with the objective of minimising the risk of subsequent financial claims against the State

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