Bulgaria Summons Slovak Ambassador Following Pellegrini's Visit to Skopje

Sofia, 16 October (TASR) – The Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Ministry has summoned the Slovak ambassador in Sofia in connection with statements made by Slovak President Peter Pellegrini on North Macedonia's integration process with the EU, describing them as unacceptable, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry stated on Thursday, TASR has learnt from BTA news agency. Head of European affairs at the Bulgarian ministry Jordan Parvanov expressed Bulgaria's "great surprise" at President Pellegrini's statements during a meeting with Slovak Ambassador Vasil Grivna. According to him, "they essentially call into question the validity of the European consensus of July 2022, adopted by all EU-member states, including Slovakia." He mentioned the compromise agreement between EU-member states, which allowed accession talks with Skopje to begin under certain conditions, including changes to the constitution and the inclusion of the Bulgarian minority in it, reported BTA. "We are deeply disappointed that a partner country has decided to encourage the counterproductive rhetoric of the government of the Republic of North Macedonia, which is constantly looking for someone to blame for the lack of progress in its European integration process. Such an attitude serves neither the EU's strategic vision for the region nor the interests of the citizens of this candidate country," said Parvanov. According to the statement, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded its partners in Bratislava that progress towards the EU depends solely on each country's merits in meeting the set criteria and its commitments, BTA reported. During his visit to Skopje on Tuesday (14 October), Pellegrini stated that the European Union risks losing the trust of the people of North Macedonia if it continues to impose new conditions on the country's accession to the EU. Following talks with North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, Pellegrini said that EU integration shouldn't be used as a tool to settle "international scores or political disputes". "The EU is gambling with the trust of the people in this region. If it fails to prove that the enlargement process is alive and credible, it will make a serious mistake," declared Pellegrini, adding that that countries like North Macedonia are capable of negotiating accession chapters and implementing necessary reforms in the years ahead to meet EU-membership criteria. The Slovak president argued that the security of the EU is closely tied to its enlargement, reiterating that Slovakia firmly supports North Macedonia and will assist its integration efforts "in every possible way". am/df