• Sunday, 07 July 2024

Communication with Bulgaria has to be intensive, says Osmani 

Communication with Bulgaria has to be intensive, says Osmani 
Skopje, 12 November 2022 (MIA) - Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said Saturday that the communication with Bulgaria has to be constant and intensive. The more we leave room without communications, the easier for someone else to interfere the communication and kidnap the agenda, which sidetracks us from the course we established back in July, Osmani said. "We agreed to active the sectoral working groups immediately, because next week a team from the two ministries will prepare a calendar of meetings of the five working groups set up in early 2022. They will convene once a month," the Minister told today's press briefing. At the briefing, Osmani focused on his working visit to Bulgaria calling it very important. In Sofia, he met with Prime Minister Galab Donev, Foreign Minister Nikolay Milkov and the leaders of Bulgarian parliamentary political parties. "The goal [of the visit] was to maintain normal communication, but also, most importantly, to implement preventative diplomacy, because as of late I don't like the trend and dynamic of the relations with Bulgaria especially after the breakthrough we made in July. Since Bulgaria has no political government, I wanted to have meetings with the technical one as well as with political parties," said Osmani. It was agreed a business forum with Bulgaria to be organized in early December in Skopje. Many businessmen and officials of Bulgarian companies will arrive in Skopje together with Minister Milkov, announced Osmani adding it will mark one billion euros in trade this year. North Macedonia, the Minister stated, has set up working thematic groups to implement the protocol and Bulgaria has done the same, meaning there are working groups in the two countries to monitor the protocol. "What needs to be agreed in the comping period, stemming as an obligation from the protocol, is a calendar for joint observances of the historical figures that were already agreed," Osmani said adding a calendar for 2023 and 2024 according to the protocol should be prepared for the five historical figures. According to him, a model has been already established involving May 24, the Ss Cyril and Methodius Day, marked for years already together in Rome. Talks should be opened for St. Clement, St. Naum and Tsar Samuil. Osmani's meetings as part of his working visit to Bulgaria also included talks on the cultural center in Blagoevgrad. "It remains to be seen when we will be prepared after having finished the procedure to open the cultural center in Blagoevgrad," he said. The Minister called his meeting with the political parties positive and constructive. Answering a journalist's question at the briefing, Osmani said that provocations, especially those directed at the identity and language have been disturbing the citizens and limiting the space for cooperation.