Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

The rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia are not protected, the vice president believes

Photo: BTA

Bulgaria does not impose additional conditions on the process and negotiations of the Republic of North Macedonia with the EU, said Vice President Iliana Iotova at the opening of the “EU meets the Balkans” forum in Sofia.

The forum is attended by European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and government representatives of Turkey, Romania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Montenegro.

Iotova stressed that bilateral relations between the two countries are not a problem for Skopje not to start negotiations with the EU. She noted that this is the thesis of “our colleagues from the Republic of North Macedonia”, as well as some European politicians and experts who speak in the direction that the process is blocked by both sides.

“We want the European criteria to be respected, just as every country that has embarked on the path to real EU membership has respected these criteria,” said the vice president. "We continue to believe that the rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia are not protected," Iotova emphasized and noted that the framework agreed with the EU in 2022, based on the French proposal, does not set out Bulgarian claims, but European criteria for membership, the main of which is the protection of human rights.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

In July, Bulgaria will know whether it will join the eurozone on January 1, 2026

In July, it will become completely clear whether Bulgaria will join the eurozone on January 1, 2026. This was stated in an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio by Deputy Minister of Finance Metodi Metodiev. The two reports on the assessment..

published on 4/17/25 3:03 PM

Bulgarian researchers create new method for tracking chromosomes

Bulgarian young researchers have made an impressive scientific discovery in the field of cell biology . A Bulgarian team has published a scientific paper in which they track human chromosomes during mitosis, which was previously considered impossible...

published on 4/17/25 12:41 PM
Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorčević

Montenegro is relying on Bulgaria’s support for its accession to the EU

We are relying on Bulgaria for our accession to the EU, Minister of European Affairs of Montenegro Maida Gorčević said in an interview with BGNES. Chinese investments are not a threat to European integration because the lessons of the past have..

published on 4/17/25 11:25 AM