Sofia, 11 June 2022 (MIA) – During his visit to Sofia on Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he strongly supports reaching an agreement to start EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Bulgaria, MIA’s Sofia correspondent reports. Scholz pointed out that Germany understands it’s not easy to overcome historical differences between neighboring countries, but its experience shows that it is good for everyone when mistrust is overcome and friendly relations are built with neighbors. “I believe there’s a chance to make progress. We’ll continue discussion and exchange until the French Presidency ends, and I hope we’ll make progress. I’m convinced that together, we Europeans have responsibility for the EU and for stability on the Balkans. It’s important to make the most of the enlargement process,” Scholz told a joint press conference with Bulgarian PM Kiril Petkov. Petkov said that Bulgaria and Germany have always looked at the Western Balkans with a view to their EU integration. The Bulgarian PM stressed that the governments of Bulgaria and North Macedonia “continue to work in this direction, and the Bulgarian government made clear Bulgaria’s position about the conditions that need to be met for North Macedonia’s EU integration to continue.”