While he was still campaigning for November 2021 parliamentary election, the new Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov outlined his vision for overcoming the disputes with North Macedonia. Historians, he said, were not enough and the businessmen should also be included in the discussions, writes European Western Balkans
It did not take long for Petkov to visit Skopje, which he did on 18 January, only two days following the inauguration of the Government of Dimitar Kovačevski, successor to Zoran Zaev. This was followed a week later by the joint session of the two Governments in Sofia, where new working groups were established.
Businessmen-turned-politicians Petkov and Kovačevski certainly find it easier to discuss the economy than identity issues, and there is hope that this approach would bear fruit. However, controversies over common history and the status of minorities have already been re-opened, showing how fragile mutual relations still are. Economy and infrastructure are the areas which the Prime Ministers quickly agreed would be the steppingstone for relaxation of mutual relations. Following their meeting on 25 January in Sofia, they committed to a “new level of enthusiasm” and clear criteria for future cooperation.
While constructiveness was the order of the day during the two official meetings in January, the fact remains that the Bulgarian veto represents a problem not only for North Macedonia but also Albania and the credibility of the enlargement process. The new initiatives, therefore, will hardly be judged only on their merits; they will be expected to unblock the EU accession process as soon as possible.
