Skopje, 11 January 2022 (MIA) – It was an honor to be the Government’s Special Representative for Bulgaria over the past 13 months. I was appointed a couple of weeks after the Bulgarian veto, amid exceptionally complex circumstances – lack of mutual trust and dominating hate speech, Vlado Buchkovski told MIA after the Government dismissed him from the post on Tuesday. “Even in such unfavorable circumstances, I did my best to keep the dialogue afloat and prevent further escalation in bilateral relations. A friend of mine in Sofia told me ‘you are the guardian of the fire, preventing it from extinguishing, the fire that warms the hope that Bulgaria and North Macedonia can be true friends and allies as soon as possible’,” says Buchkovski. He expresses hope that his engagement would be of help to the continuation of the dialogue between the countries’ governments and the two new prime ministers, characterized by positive energy and new negotiating methodology.