At a meeting with North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski, Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev expressed satisfaction with the work of the governments of the two countries. “The same approach should be used in resolving open political issues. Bulgaria and North Mcedonia must finally clarify the short-term tasks than need to be solved before we start negotiations", President Radev further said.

For his part, North Macedonia’s Premier Dimitar Kovachevski said that the two countries can find a solution via an open and sincere dialogue. "Bulgaria has been a member of the European Union for 15 years. I hope that this country will not only open the door to North Macedonia's EU accession, but also share its experience with us," Premier Dimitar Kovachevski said. He emphasized the positive results achieved by Bulgaria and North Macedonia- the establishment of a joint commission in the field of European integration, the forthcoming opening of the Sofia-Skopje airline, etc.

After the closed-door meeting, Rumen Radev raised the issue of the rights of the citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia who identify as Bulgarian.

“Including these Macedonian Bulgarians in the Constitution, guaranteeing their equal rights alongside the other parts of the peoples, will enable Bulgaria to open the door to the launch of EU accession negotiations,” President Radev said.