Borissov: Compromise Possible, But We Must Recognise History First

Bulgarian PM Boyko Borissov said in an interview for German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) that Bulgaria wants the integration of Macedonia in the EU even more than Germany. “We really want to see North Macedonia in the EU. However, their claims of an alleged Macedonian minority in Bulgaria still pose a problem. There is no such minority in Bulgaria. This development of events is making me feel very concerned. Compromise is possible, but we all must be aware of the historical facts. After World War II, the Bulgarian communists and Stalin’s Moscow wanted to turn the Bulgarians in Macedonia into Macedonians for ideological reasons. If there are false allegations in the EU accession process and I do not react, my political opponents will say that I am selling Bulgarian history and succumbing to pressure from the European partners,” Borissov said. In meantime, Macedonia PM Zoran Zaev wrote on Facebook that the government proceeds with the negotiations with Bulgaria for finding solutions to the bilateral issues. “We continue with our efforts for looking for resolutions for our disputes, because that’s the European way. We shall become members of the EU as Macedonians, with Macedonian language,” Zaev writes.