Bulgaria and North Macedonian Ministers Meet in Sofia Without Agreement

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Петрова and North Macedonian Foreign Minister Тимчо Муцунски met in Sofia, without producing any agreement to restart bilateral relations, which have remained stalled for months.

The meeting took place during the international ministerial conference on Corridor 8 in Sofia. The discussion followed a prompt from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who advised North Macedonian Prime Minister Християн Мицкоски earlier in the month to seek talks with Sofia.

Velislava Петрова Demands Concrete Timelines for 2022 Framework Commitments

Bulgaria maintains that its stance toward North Macedonia has not shifted from the terms established in 2022.

Петрова asked the North Macedonian delegation for a clear timeline regarding when Skopje plans to fulfill its European Consensus commitments from 2022. North Macedonia continues to treat the dispute as a bilateral issue, despite the matter moving entirely to the European level in 2022.

Тимчо Муцунски Cites Separation of Powers in Iva Михайлова Case

The two ministers also addressed the humanitarian case of Iva Михайлова, who faces criminal charges in North Macedonia related to road safety. Macedonian authorities previously barred her from traveling to Bulgaria for medical treatment, drawing sharp protests from Sofia. During the Sofia meeting, Петрова welcomed North Macedonia’s willingness to allow Bulgarian doctors to join a medical council assessing Михайлова’s health, expressing hope that it will lead to prompt treatment.

Speaking at a separate press conference, Муцунски insisted that the executive branch must not interfere in judicial proceedings. He separated the case into two distinct aspects: the ongoing court case and Михайлова’s health condition. As a candidate country for European Union membership that strives for the rule of law and good governance, Republic of North Macedonia cannot allow the executive power to interfere in the decisions of the prosecution and the judicial system, Муцунски stated, emphasizing that her detention order was issued by the judiciary and can only be contested through legal channels.

Християн Мицкоски Points to European Union Proposals on Veto Rules

Ahead of the ministerial talks, North Macedonian Prime Minister Християн Мицкоски asserted that the European Union has recognized the problem of “veto abuse” by individual member states through its new enlargement strategy, as reported via BTA correspondent Marinela Velichkova in Skopje. Мицкоски pointed to proposed changes allowing qualified majority voting rather than unanimity in certain enlargement decisions as proof that Brussels acknowledges the complications caused by national vetoes.

Meanwhile, the political gap between Sofia and Skopje persists, with Bulgarian authorities awaiting concrete actions on constitutional amendments while North Macedonian officials maintain that domestic judicial independence prevents executive intervention in high-profile criminal cases like that of Iva Михайлова.