Timcho Mucunski requested meeting with Velislava Petkova-Chamova; Mickoski cautious, opposition sceptical
Government says request came after advice from Ursula von der Leyen; Sofia has not yet responded and opposition expects no breakthrough.
The Macedonian government has formally asked for a meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski and his Bulgarian counterpart Velislava Petkova-Chamova, but responses and expectations remain mixed ahead of a ministerial meeting in Sofia.
Request came after advice from the European Commission
Officially, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the meeting request was sent following a recommendation from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Skopje last week. If Sofia accepts, the encounter would be held on the margins of the Corridor 8 ministerial meeting scheduled for 8 October in Sofia.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski described the move as following advice he received and said the government is awaiting a reply before saying more. "I received advice from the President of the European Commission, which I accepted. We asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade to request a meeting; he did so. We still have no answer. Once we receive a response, we will be able to comment further," Mickoski said.
Bulgarian official Iliana Yotova said she is a "moderate optimist" that such a meeting could yield results and stressed that Macedonia's path to the EU "does not go through ultimatums," telling Prime Minister Mickoski that the issue is part of broader European enlargement policy rather than a bilateral matter.
SDSM leader Venko Filipche reacted sharply to the idea of a bilateral format and expressed little hope for progress. "I expect nothing. They will pretend to be patriots again. Why hasn't there been a meeting until now? It is the duty of the foreign minister to meet our EU neighbours. What will Timcho do now, will he kneel? Will he bend his spine?" Filipche asked.
With an official answer still pending from Sofia, expectations are cautious: the government frames the request as following EU advice, Bulgaria has signalled reservations about a purely bilateral meeting, and opposition voices say they do not expect any movement before or after the possible encounter on 8 October.
Photo: press material from the event
