Statement on Third Anniversary of the Friendship, Good-neighborly Relations and Cooperation Agreement with the Republic of North Macedonia
01 August 2020 News
Three years ago, the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia opened a new chapter in their relations. The signing of the Friendship, Good-neighborly Relations and Cooperation Agreement on 1 August 2017 will be remembered as one of the most important events in our region in modern times.
This document recognized our common history and outlined the principles and ways for developing cooperation in all spheres.
The success achieved three years ago opened the way for the Republic of North Macedonia’s European integration and its membership in NATO. It is European prospects that unite everybody on the Balkans and serve as the main engine for reform, building stability and economic prosperity.
Bulgaria remains of the firmly convinced that the European project cannot be completed without the accession of our neighbors in the region. We welcome the decision of March 2020 to open accession talks with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia. As far as Bulgaria is concerned, the main criterion for a country’s readiness to get closer to EU membership is the maintenance of sincere good-neighborly relations and observance of the principle of the rule of law and fundamental freedoms. We have confidence in good-neighborly relations as a fundamental European value and hence the full implementation in good faith of the agreement by the Republic of North Macedonia is a key condition for the country’s further progress on the road to EU integration.
With the signing of the Friendship, Good-neighborly Relations and Cooperation Agreement on 1 August 2017, the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia made an important step toward restoring relations between the two countries to a level befitting the relations between very close neighbors and friends. The two countries undertook to work towards strengthening economic cooperation and infrastructure connectivity, activation of ties in education and culture as well as contacts between businesses and the people on both sides of the border.
The third anniversary of the signing of the agreement created an opportunity for an analysis of the achievements and for planning concrete steps to ensure the implementation of the goals of the agreement. Without a doubt, one of the agreement’s most important aspects is the activity of the Joint Multidisciplinary Expert Commission on Matters of History and Education. In this context, Bulgaria expects that the activity of this Commission will resume as soon as possible and that real progress will be achieved based on an objective interpretation of authentic and verified historical sources.
The two countries’ politicians now have the task of acting responsibly and confirming the choice that was made three years ago, so that we can build our common European and Euro-Atlantic future by basing our efforts on our common past.