In order to be sustainable, the European integration of North Macedonia must be based on the fulfillment of the EU membership criteria, President Rumen Radev said. In Sofia, he met the special envoy of Germany for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin.

The inclusion of Bulgarians in the North Macedonian constitution is a precondition for starting EU membership talks, but it is not the only one, the president pointed out. He recalled that an integral part of the European decision for Skopje's EU integration is the implementation of the Treaty of friendship, good-neighbourliness and cooperation from 2017. These are no longer open questions between two countries, but questions about Skopje's relations with the EU, President Radev pointed out.

"Unfortunately, the language of hatred in North Macedonia has intensified and we have seen physical violence against citizens with Bulgarian self-awareness, shooting and burning of Bulgarian cultural clubs," the President said.