Sofia, 10 January 2022 (MIA) – Giving consent for the start of the EU accession negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia is not tied to timeframes but attainment of real results, including the rights of Macedonian Bulgarians, said Bulgarian President Rumen Radev after Monday’s session of the Consultative Council on National Security, dedicated to the European integration of the Western Balkans, with a focus on North Macedonia and Albania, MIA reports from Sofia. After a six-hour meeting, meeting participants also reaffirmed the readiness for the start of EU accession negotiations with Albania. The rights of Macedonian Bulgarians cannot be negotiated, said President Radev, while adding that the Western Balkans’ European integration is in Bulgaria’s strategic interest, corresponding with the interests of EU and NATO partners. “It was concluded that four years after the signing of the Friendship Treaty, the candidate-country has not done what is required of it regarding the agreement’s implementation and fails to provide guarantees for implementation of the undertaken commitments,” said Radev on North Macedonia. According to him, there is a decade-long policy of discrimination of Macedonian Bulgarians that has escalated as of late through open public attacks on citizens who have declared their Bulgarian roots. Radev added there is a need for comprehensive, focused activities to bring back trust and intensify bilateral cooperation in all fields of mutual interest, especially Corridor VIII infrastructure projects, as well as the setup of joint working groups to intensify bilateral ties.