Bulgaria, Macedonia See Little Progress in 'Friendship Treaty' Talks

Diplomacy | December 13, 2013, Friday // 18:38|  views

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin (R) and his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Poposki (L). Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister believes that no significant progress has been achieved so far in the country’s good-neighbor agreement talks with Macedonia.

“Based on our talks today, we may rethink some phrasings; we may invite a Macedonian diplomatic team, so that the work can continue,” Kristian Vigenin said after meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Poposki in Sofia on Friday, according to the Bulgarian National Radio.

Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister said Macedonia is not expected to receive a date for the start of negotiations with the EU at the upcoming General Affairs Council sitting – but added that “there would be nothing fatal in that.”

Bulgaria and Macedonia share a common past and a similar language.

Relations between the two countries have been strained since late 2012, when Bulgaria joined Greece in vetoing an EU decision to set a starting date for accession negotiations with Macedonia.

Bulgaria's grievances are against discrimination in Macedonia against citizens who determine themselves as Bulgarians, as well as against Macedonia’s encroachment on parts of Bulgaria's historic and cultural heritage.

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Tags: good-neighbor agreement, Bulgaria, macedonia, EU, Kristian Vigenin, Nikola Poposki

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