Georg Georgiev: The constitutional changes are only the first, but not the only condition for North Macedonia

Skopje – The Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Georgi Georgiev, stated that the inclusion of Bulgarians in the Constitution is the first, but not the only condition for the start of the country’s negotiations for EU membership, and that this is not a bilateral issue, but the implementation of the European consensus.

– It is very important to know that the change of the Constitution and the inclusion of Bulgarians as a state-building nation is not the only condition. In other words, it is not good to omit this entire conversation, with a possible goal – which I hope is not the case, if the inclusion happens and the condition for constitutional changes according to the European consensus is fulfilled, for someone to say: “we told you that Bulgarians do not have only one thing in mind,” Georgiev stated in the show “Brussels 1”.

He assessed that besides the constitutional changes, the European consensus also includes the implementation of the Good Neighbor Agreement with Bulgaria and the protocols arising from it, as well as the Action Plan for the protection of the rights of minority members.

– All of this must be a fact; otherwise, there will be no fulfillment of the European consensus, there will be no fulfillment of the Council’s conclusions, and if that is not a fact, it will not be possible to proceed to the opening of the first Cluster, where human rights are concerned, Georgiev stated.

The head of Bulgarian diplomacy assessed that the constitutional changes will only open the way for European integration, and that other conditions set by the EU must also be fulfilled, adding that this is not a bilateral issue or an open inter-state question.

Georgiev also emphasized that he does not understand why Macedonian politicians are silent before their citizens and present the constitutional changes as the only, rather than the first request in the process.

– That is why I constantly tell my colleagues in good faith that I really do not want to allow the impression that this is being done tendentiously and with some ulterior motive. On the contrary, there are very clearly written conditions in black and white through which the process is moving, Georgiev stated. (April 15, 2025)