BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 16. The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to Sofia, Vasil Grivna, following statements made by Slovak President Peter Pellegrini during his visit to North Macedonia, Trend reports.
The comments included assessments deemed unacceptable by Bulgaria regarding North Macedonia’s European integration process.
Yordan Parvanov, Director General for European Affairs, expressed Sofia’s strong concern over President Pellegrini’s remarks, which effectively questioned the validity of the European Consensus of July 2022, adopted by all EU member states, including Slovakia.
Bulgaria expressed disappointment that a partner country would promote what it described as “counterproductive rhetoric” by the North Macedonian government, which it says is seeking to assign blame for delays in the country’s EU accession process. According to Sofia, such a stance is not in the interest of either the EU’s strategic vision for the region or the citizens of North Macedonia.
The Bulgarian MFA reminded its partners in Bratislava that progress toward EU membership depends solely on a country’s own efforts to meet established criteria and fulfill agreed-upon commitments.