Another request from Sofia is being met by Skopje in order to normalise bilateral relations and lift the Bulgarian veto on the start of accession talks between North Macedonia and the EU.
Specifically, Skopje accepted the Bulgarian request to include "Bulgarian" in the national groups included in the country's constitution.
However, this will be done at the end of the negotiation process with the EU, when North Macedonia will be required to restructure the constitution in order to harmonise it with European law and acquis.
The announcement was made by the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovačevski, during a joint press conference with his Bulgarian counterpart, Kiril Petkov, in Sofia.
A joint meeting of the governments of Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia took place in Sofia on Tuesday, which raised further optimism for the normalisation of relations between the two countries and the unblocking of the process of starting Skopje accession talks with the EU.
It was the second major step between the two countries in a week, following a previous visit by Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov to the North Macedonian capital.
During the meetings, the two Prime Ministers had a four-way discussion, followed by meetings of four working groups in the fields: Economy, Trade and Innovation, Infrastructure, Transport and Connectivity, European Cooperation - Green Transition and Digital Transformation and the Rule of Law.
It also includes: Culture, Science, Education and Youth.
At the same time, there was a meeting of the co-chairs of the Joint Multidisciplinary Committee of Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia for Historical and Educational Issues.
However, despite the positive climate, especially for the improvement of relations in the economic sector, the "thorn" remains the resolution of disputes on key historical issues that - for the time being at least - the two countries remain unmoved.
"From now on, I hope co-operation will lead to a good neighbourhood, which we all believe will happen," Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said after a joint meeting of the two countries' governments.
READ MORE: Poll: Nearly 70% of Bulgarians oppose EU negotiations with Skopje.
This post was last modified on January 27, 2022 7:26 pm