Levica: We accept talks with EU institutions, not bilateral negotiations with Bulgaria

Levica rejected on Thursday the proposal by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski that the opposition join the bilateral dialogue with Sofia, saying the party supports negotiations with the European Union's institutions but not bilateral talks with Bulgaria as a condition for North Macedonia's EU accession.

Speaking from the Assembly podium, Mickoski answered a question from Arbana Pasholli of the "European Front" coalition (led by DUI) about the government's strategy to unblock the EU accession process and open negotiating chapters. He proposed that the united opposition nominate representatives to take part in the team that will conduct the talks with Bulgaria.

“In this dialogue that we are conducting with Bulgaria, absolutely, here you as the united opposition of several political parties, propose representatives to be part of the team that will lead that dialogue with our eastern neighbor. We will absolutely respect that,” Mickoski said, adding that those opposition representatives would attend all meetings.

Levica responded that talks with Bulgaria are not the same as negotiations with the European Union, and that accepting bilateral talks with Sofia is a political stance rather than a neutral, routine procedure. The party described the premier’s offer as political manipulation and a distortion of the concept of "national unity."

“It is entirely legitimate to support North Macedonia's EU membership, but at the same time to reject bilateral negotiations with Bulgaria as a condition for Euro-integration, insisting that negotiations be held exclusively at Union instances, that is, within the official institutions and through EU mechanisms,” Levica said in a statement.

Background and ongoing contacts

The bilateral dialogue between North Macedonia and Bulgaria to align positions on outstanding issues began after the meeting on 8 October in Sofia between the two countries' foreign ministers, Timcho Mucunski and Velislava Petrova-Chamova. The meeting followed advice from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who visited Skopje days earlier.

After that encounter Mucunski described the talks as conducted in a constructive atmosphere but without solutions to the core issues, while Petrova-Chamova said Bulgaria supports North Macedonia's European perspective and expects the country to fulfil its 2022 commitments, including constitutional amendments. Petrova-Chamova added that a sense of trust must be built between the two states; she also said, “The best guarantee for North Macedonia is to fulfil the obligations from 2022.”

Mickoski told media on 10 October that he welcomed the start of the dialogue and expected it to continue, saying: “That is the beauty of democracy, to talk when you have different positions, and the skill of democracy is when you bring those different positions closer and eventually reach a compromise. I expect the dialogue to continue to be conducted and at some point the positions to converge and for us to reach a solution.”

Levica reiterated that it is not opposed to talks with EU institutions but insists on direct, substantive negotiations with the Union’s bodies in which North Macedonia participates as an equal subject with its own positions and national interests.

Photo: Printskrin