Skopje, 21 July 2021 (MIA) – Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said Wednesday there are serious windows of opportunity to reach a solution with Bulgaria by the end of the year, whereas the political context in Sofia would also play a significant role. “It is crucial to see if there will be an interlocutor in Sofia that will take part in a dialogue with us. I am an eternal optimist, there are serious windows of opportunity by the end of this year and everyone is engaged. These windows are September, October and December, but I wouldn’t like to mention dates, because the society lives with these timelines that are accompanied by hopes and frustrations,” FM Osmani told reporters. According to him, it is obvious that the issue does not depend on North Macedonia since the country has met the required criteria for the start of the EU accession negotiations and there are clearly defined lines that cannot be crossed. “We will continue to be a constructive partner, try to find a solution within the country’s positions, but the issue is out of our hands,” said Osmani. He said the room for the solution lies in the proposal defined by the two previous EU Presidencies – Germany and Portugal – and the only missing thing is the institutional aspect in Bulgaria and more political will and engagement. “It is of enormous importance that institutions in Bulgaria are formed so we have a dialogue that produces results. I said a caretaker government could also deliver because a political decision on the negotiations has already been taken, but the issue could not be overcome. Therefore, it is key that a government is formed following today’s constitution of the parliament in Sofia. Formal discussions with the Bulgarian officials will begin once the new government is formed, although we also had some talks with the caretaker cabinet,” noted Osmani. He added that the Slovenian EU Presidency actively continued with the efforts towards finding a solution.