Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia (RMP) have not yet settled their "historical and linguistic" disputes, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said.

The politician added that North Macedonia is not fulfilling its commitments from the 2017 friendship treaty between the two neighbors and is pursuing a policy "based on hatred towards Bulgaria." Under the friendship treaty, a bilateral history committee was established to deal with the problems of interpreting the common history. However, the side in Skopje has not allowed any progress, according to the Bulgarians.

Sofia wants its western neighbor to recognize that "the Macedonian nation and language have Bulgarian roots and encourages it to put an end to anti-Bulgarian rhetoric." Skopje, on the other hand, says the country's identity and language are not up for discussion.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, who is critical of the government on many other issues, shares the position on this issue. Skopje Mayor Petre Shilegov, on the other hand, believes that Sofia's veto "will do more harm to Bulgaria than to Macedonia."

If any country votes against the negotiating framework, accession talks cannot formally begin.

SM