Skopje, 2 September 2022 (MIA) – A condition for the Bulgarian government to support the opening and closing of chapters with the European Union is that North Macedonia fully implements the provisions of the 2017 Treaty, where historical issues play a very important part, says the new Bulgarian Ambassador to the United States, Georgi Panayotov. In an interview with Voice of America in Macedonian, Ambassador Panayotov says the work of the Commission on historical and educational issues on all periods of “our common history” must be completed before North Macedonia joins the EU. “The decision of our parliament has provided legally-binding conditions for every Bulgarian government to support every future step in the enlargement process, including the opening/closing of the EU Acquis chapters. These conditions include that North Macedonia fully guarantees equal rights for the Bulgarian people as all other citizens, including through the relevant constitutional amendments, and to fully implement the provisions of the 2017 Treaty and its protocols. A very important part of the agreement is the bilateral commission on historical and educational issues and its work on the objective, academic interpretation of the common history of both countries. In recent years, the commission has provided several important recommendations, which implementation in both countries, but also the following recommendations, is key to overcoming the damaging old stereotypes and national prejudice, while building a future of mutual support and understanding. The commission’s work on all periods of our common history must be completed before North Macedonia joins the EU, and this commitment is part of the July protocol,” says Panayotov. According to him, as soon as the historical issues are resolved, the language problem would not disrupt bilateral relations. The Ambassador adds that the altered French proposal has not changed the essence of the Bulgarian demands, because if this had been the case, Bulgarian would have not removed the veto.