Several days ago Macedonia’s President Gjorge Ivanov paid a working visit to Bulgaria. It reminded of the close relations between those countries and about their problems, too. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences honored President Ivanov with Doctor Honoris Causa title for his contribution to science, education, culture and public life. This act drew the Bulgarian Academy of Science and the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts closer. Moreover, the two academies have been marking for three consecutive years the Day of St. St. Cyril and Methodius on May 24. This year the academies launched together in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia an exhibition about the Bogomil Movement and its Literature. They also presented a collection about modernism in the Bulgarian and the Macedonian literature in the 20^th century. Despite those and other similar acts, the agreement of good neighborly relations between Macedonia and Bulgaria has not been signed yet.

In a conversation with his Macedonian counterpart, Bulgaria’s President Rossen Plevneliev pointed out that Bulgaria and Macedonia have to walk the road towards the signature of this agreement in the name of friendship and cooperation between those countries. Macedonia’s President Gjorge Ivanov was of the same opinion. In an interview for Bulgarian media he commented that the two countries already lost a lot of time and that the development of the bilateral relations must not be hampered by an article that needs to be harmonized between Macedonia and Bulgaria. Bulgaria’s President-elect Rumen Radev insisted a week ago that the agreement of good neighborly relations between Bulgaria and Macedonia had to be ratified. Rumen Radev has assured during a meeting with Macedonia’s President Ivanov that he would work towards continuity of Bulgaria’s relations with Macedonia.

However, Bulgaria should continue supporting Macedonia in its EU and NATO accession bid, provided Sofia and Skopje sign the long-awaited agreement of good neighborly relations. Macedonia’s President Ivanov said in return that Bulgaria should follow Croatia’s and Slovenia’s example and show more commitment to the countries from the Western Balkans, which have not become part of the European Union yet.

The signature of an agreement of good neighborly relations is part of the responsibilities of the governments of Bulgaria and Macedonia. However, those two countries will soon have new cabinets. Macedonia will elect its new government after the early Parliamentary election scheduled for December. Sofia will also have a new cabinet soon, which will be preceded by a caretaker cabinet appointed by the country’s head of state. Bulgaria’s new government, which will have full rights to sign international agreements and contracts, will be probably formed in the spring of 2017. In other words, despite the good intentions shown recently by Presidents Plevneliev and Ivanov, the agreement on good neighborly relations between Bulgaria and Macedonia is merely a wishful thinking.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov