Thursday, 21 February 2013
MEETING Of THE COORDINATOR OF VMRO-DPMNE MS. SILVANA BONEVA AND THE BULGARIAN AMBASSADOR H.E. MR. IVAN VELIKOV PETKOV
Macedonia is Bulgaria’s closest and most friendly neighbour and we want to have good relations with your country and to see it in the EU and NATO. All the open issues should be put on the table and resolved through dialogue and we must develop a mechanism to conclude the negotiations with the signing of an agreement, emphasized H.E. Mr. Ivan Velikov Petkov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Macedonia, at the meeting with Ms. Silvana Boneva, Coordinator of the Parliamentary Group of VMRO-DPMNE.
In an open discussion, both sides agreed that the meeting of the Prime Ministers is a big step forward that sends a positive signal to the citizens and that the political will should be used to support the efforts for enhancement of the relations between the two countries.
Regarding the events in the Assembly on 24 December, they expressed hope that this will not result in a negative report and loss of opportunity to receive the date for opening negotiations with the EU. Ms. Boneva informed the Bulgarian Ambassador that, despite the boycott of the opposition, the preparations for the local election are in progress and that the authorities will take all the measures necessary for having fair and democratic election.
She appealed to the Bulgarian Ambassador to convey the message to his European colleagues that on election day the Macedonian citizens will demonstrate their democratic capacity, and that the country should not be judged only by the actions of certain circles in the political parties.
Ambassador Ivan Velikov Petkov expressed the concern of the embassies of the European countries about the situation and said that the political dialogue must be restored.
Regarding the relations between Macedonia and Bulgaria, they agreed that both sides must work on improvement of the infrastructure, opening on new border crossings, strengthening of the trade and economic relations.
Ms. Boneva and Mr. Velikov Petkov also discussed the latest developments in Bulgaria and agreed that, regardless of the outcome, the positive dynamics in the relations between the two countries should be maintained and that the cooperation between the parliaments should be intensified.