Skopje, 24 June 2022 (MIA) – If one wants to resolve a bilateral dispute where there is a balanced approach, taking into account the criteria for EU accession, it is quite clear that issues relating to language, identity and history must be dealt with in a parallel process, because otherwise including them into the negotiating framework is going to completely pollute the accession process and who is to guarantee that there won’t be further Bulgarian veto down the road, says former EU ambassador to the country, Erwan Fouere. Fouere told Sitel TV these aspects should be excluded, because in the way they are formulated, “they are an insult to the Macedonian citizens, they attack the heart and soul of the Macedonian nation, so they can never be part of any compromise solution.” “I really hope that French diplomatic efforts will understand the sensitivities related to these issues that exist in the Western Balkans and make an effort that takes much more into account the Macedonian interests than purely leaning almost entirely in favor of the interest of Bulgaria,” he said. According to him, what is needed is to bring together “sensible Bulgarian people who believe their politicians are not acting in favor of the Bulgarian interest” and there would be coming together of people, of civil society from Bulgaria and North Macedonia to create this climate of trust because at the moment there is no trust. “To have an agreement there needs to be a trust established. Unfortunately, the behavior of a number of Bulgarian politicians is totally contrary to the behavior one expects from an EU member-state and also totally contrary to all that EU stands for in terms of overcoming the legacy of the past, the heritage of the war and promoting a process based on reconciliation and rule of law. Bulgaria seems to ignore that entirely and this is a great tragedy in my view,” noted Fouere. He said North Macedonia should continue with the reforms. “The country has made tremendous efforts and while I understand the de-motivation of many, I think the best response to what is happening is to continue and to show that the Macedonian citizens have the capacity and determination to continue in their efforts, because they firmly believe, and rightly so, that their future lies in the European family of nations,” concluded Fouere.