Sofia will veto on Tuesday (November 17th) a start of negotiations for North Macedonia's accession to the EU due to unresolved historic disputes between the two countries, Deputy Prime Minister Krassimir Karakatchanov announced on Monday (November 16th).
Read also: EU: Sofia announces "a breakthrough" on its differences with North Macedonia
"
We support North Macedonia's accession to the EU, but when it commits to resolving disputes and applies the friendship treaty."
When these questions are resolved, we will give our agreement to start the
accession
negotiations,
”Karakachanov, leader of the nationalist party VMRO, told public radio on Monday.
On Tuesday the EU's General Affairs Council was due to adopt the framework agreement for accession negotiations with Skopje and Tirana.
A consensus of the 27 member countries is however necessary.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said on November 10 that she hoped to organize the start of negotiations under the German presidency which expires in December.
North Macedonia had reached in 2018 after long years of disagreement with a compromise with Greece on its name, which allowed its accession to NATO last March.
The Bulgarian government of Boyko Borissov in which the nationalist party VMRO participates, for its part, has toughened its tone lately, reproaching Skopje for a reluctance to resolve historical disputes, and to present Bulgaria as an enemy in the media and history books .
“
Their whole state policy continues to be based on the language of hatred
” towards Bulgaria, Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva was indignant on Sunday.
"
There is therefore no way to say yes
" at the start of negotiations, according to her.
Bulgaria rejects the term "
Macedonian language
", considering that the language of North Macedonia is Bulgarian.
For Sofia Bulgaria and North Macedonia share a common history until the formation of the Republic of Macedonia within Yugoslavia after the Second World War.
Read also: EU calls on North Macedonia to settle historic disputes with Sofia
Public opinion in Bulgaria largely supports this intransigent position, according to two recent polls.
79% believe that the non-recognition by Skopje of the Bulgarian origins of the Macedonian population is "
a manipulation of historical facts
", 84% are against Bulgaria supporting North Macedonia's accession to the EU before come to a compromise on the interpretation of the story, and 45.5% think that one should not recognize the existence of a Macedonian language, according to the institute Alpha Research.
Read also: EU enlargement: conditional green light for Albania and North Macedonia