Zaev: Bulgarians in Constitution When We Become Members of EU

PM Zoran Zaev commented on the requests by Bulgarian politicians for registration of the Bulgarian minority in the Constitution of North Macedonia, saying it can be done, but only when the country is about to become a full-fledged member of the EU. “As you all know, procedures oblige us to open the Constitution for changes in the very moment our country start the process for full accession in the EU. Only then we can make a change to the preamble and introduce the Bulgarian minority along with the other ones,” PM Zaev said. In meantime, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev stated that Bulgaria remains one of the strongest supporters of the EU integration of North Macedonia, but cannot allow violation of the rights of Bulgarians living there. “Even though officials Skopje claim they fulfil all conditions for integration in the EU, we are still witnessing acts of systematic violation of the rights of the citizens of North Macedonia of Bulgarian ethnicity. The hate speech against Bulgarians is still present, and the integration of North Macedonia in the EU depends on the elimination of these policies in North Macedonia and establishment of a climate of mutual trust between official Skopje and Sofia. We are ready to make efforts for progress about fundamental issues between us,” Radev said during his meeting with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen.