Skopje, 7 March 2024 (MIA) – Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said Thursday that the Ambassador of North Macedonia to Bulgaria, Agnesa Rusi, was summoned by Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry due to an agreement signed by VMRO-DPMNE’s Government in 1999.

“In 1999, VMRO-DPMNE’s Government signed a statement with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, [Ivan] Kostov, containing an article which states that North Macedonia won’t meddle in Bulgaria’s internal affairs in relation to minority rights. I am not defending Bulgaria’s position, I am telling you what they told the Ambassador on this issue. They are referring to the statement from 1999,” Osmani told Kanal 5 TV in an interview.

Asked by MIA to comment on the press release of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which notes among other "recent public comments by politicians in the neighboring country and their false statements related to the Republic of Bulgaria", President Stevo Pendarovski said constructiveness is needed in bilateral relations between North Macedonia and Bulgaria and that the existence of the Macedonian minority in the neighboring country is a fact also confirmed by Strasbourg.

Regarding the coming presidential elections, Osmani who is running as DUI’s candidate, said he expects to enter the second round and stressed that DUI won’t call for a boycott of the elections if he fails to do so.

“I am working to enter the second round, maybe SDSM will endorse me in the second round. I will undoubtedly have more votes than Taravari, I am the only one in the country who has contacts on all continents. I think my presidential candidacy is a specific candidacy that make it possible for the citizens to finally vote for a candidate at the presidential elections, instead of for a political party or an ethnic community. DUI never causes crises in this country, on the contrary, it solves crises. DUI will never be the reason for any crisis in this country. To us, it is important that the European path continues. This is what the citizens expect,” said Osmani, noting that one of the pillars in his program is that the country’s president be elected in the Parliament.

Asked if DUI will insist on the constitutional amendments as a requirement for a potential coalition, Osmani stressed that the party won’t be a part of a government without a clear agreement over the continuation of EU negotiations.

“DUI won’t accept to be a part of a government without a clear agreement over the continuation of negotiations with the EU, not because this is interesting for the election campaign, but because we are convinced that the country can’t progress without a clear European perspective. We won’t have rule of law if we don’t open chapters 23 and 24 [of the negotiations], and anyone who promises to create a European country without European negotiations is either unfamiliar with the process or manipulates the citizens,” said Osmani.

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