Skopje, 7 February 2022 (MIA) - Working groups between North Macedonia and Bulgaria are steps to build trust and change the atmosphere, in conditions when we had strong tensions in recent years, especially in Bulgaria, where elections took place, said Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj in an interview with “Top Tema” on Telma TV. He added that all that atmosphere of sharp statements and constant pre-election rhetoric must be calmed down with different issues, which will show us that our relations do not come down only to historical issues. “We do not shy away from open issues. We know the issues and discuss them. We also know the positions. Our positions are guided by the declaration voted in the Parliament and based on that declaration we enter into talks with Bulgaria on all open issues," Marichikj said. Marichikj said that our EU accession process could not be completed in a short period. “Compared to other countries so far, the process did not take less than 4 to 5 years. Serbia and Montenegro have been in the negotiation process for 10 years and their process is not expected to be completed soon. We just want to start accession negotiations as soon as possible," he said. Marichikj added that the new enlargement methodology initiated by France has been adopted and it guarantees that those who advocate and work on reforms will move forward. “Our experience so far shows that whenever a member state wanted to block a candidate country, it succeeded in one way or another. With the new methodology, the countries have more power,” Marichikj said.