President Rumen Radev criticized the government for failing to formulate a Bulgarian proposal regarding the Republic of North Macedonia, and for submitting the French proposal now, transferring all responsibility to the National Assembly, without stating its position.

• Bulgarian Parliament already has the French proposal on the issue of North Macedonia
• French offer for North Macedonia guarantees fulfillment of Bulgarian conditions, Hristo Ivanov says
• Proposals for lifting veto on North Macedonia must always be discussed by parliament, Prime Minister says

“The Prime Minister is not a courier, he is Premier,” the President told reporters at a briefing. In his words, including Bulgarians in the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia before the start of its EU accession negotiations is a necessary but not a sufficient requirement. That is why he described the proposals of the French Presidency as a step in the right direction, but stressed that before Bulgaria’s veto is lifted, a number of issues have to be cleared up, among them rooting out the policy of de-Bulgarization, the theft and falsification of Bulgarian history, the preservation of the Bulgarian historical heritage, the eradication of hate speech etc. “I expect the Bulgarian government to categorically clear up all of these issues, to demand mechanisms and guarantees and to uphold Bulgaria’s interest,” Rumen Radev said.