Skopje, 17 July 2022 (MIA) - North Macedonia and Bulgaria on Sunday will sign the bilateral protocol in Sofia. The document will be signed by Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani and his Bulgarian counterpart Teodora Genchovska. The signing of the protocol is scheduled at 10 am (Bulgarian time) before it is published. The signing will be preceded by a meeting of the intergovernmental commission at which items from the protocol should be adopted. Reciprocity is the principle the protocol is based on, according to diplomatic sources. This principle will be respected in every sphere, all but in relation to the rights of Macedonians in Bulgaria due to the limitations in the Bulgarian Constitution, which doesn't recognize ethnic communities. As a result of these limitations, millions of Turks in Bulgaria declare themselves as Bulgarian nationals, said the Foreign Ministry (MFA). The inclusion of Bulgarians in the Constitution remains a condition for North Macedonia to open chapters. The protocol states that it will be implemented by using the phrase - members of other nationalities, such as the Bulgarian people. The document also envisages joint observation of historical figures after it is agreed by the members of the commission on historical issues. The work of the joint Macedonian-Bulgarian commission on historical and educational matters cannot be interrupted unilaterally. No matter the solution, it has to be accepted by both sides, otherwise the obligation cannot be unilateral. The body will not have to deal with deadlines, instead there will be encouragements, say diplomats. According to diplomatic sources, historical and bilateral issues will not serve as benchmarks to assess the country's progress toward EU membership. The protocol will be signed and an intergovernmental commission will hold a session after the government on Saturday approved the French proposal. Earlier in the day, the Macedonian Parliament adopted the conclusions.