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Skopje, North Macedonia (AP) — President of the European Council Charles Michel urged North Macedonia on Tuesday to uphold France's proposed compromise to end the dispute with neighboring Bulgaria, which is blocking the country's long-delayed European Union bid.
After French President Emmanuel Macron announced the proposal, fierce protests broke out in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, when demonstrators tried to attack government buildings. week. Macron said at the NATO summit in Madrid that a "compromise" was achieved without revealing details to lift opposition to the EU's desires of Bulgarian neighbors.
A new protest against the French proposal is planned in Skopje later on Tuesday.
The President of North Macedonia, Stebopendalovsky, and the government upheld a proposed agreement calling on the country to constitutionally recognize the existence of Bulgarian minorities. It also provides regular reviews of how bilateral conflicts are being addressed and may hinder future accession courses in North Macedonia.
However, the centre-right opposition VMRO-DPMNE Party, many international law experts and citizens' groups, said that this proposal was for their own country regarding the history, language and identity of the region. He states that he supports Bulgaria's demands to disagree with his views. And heritage.
As an EU member state, Bulgaria has the authority to block accession bids from neighboring countries.
At a joint press conference with North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimital Kobachevsky on Tuesday, Michelle emphasized that France's proposal is a "significant opportunity not to be missed."
Michelle said that if North Macedonia accepts the proposal, the road to initiating EU accession negotiations could open within a few days.
Kovachevski reiterated his support for the "balanced proposal", adding that "our purpose is to initiate membership consultations."
On the third day of a major protest in Skopje late Monday, protesters sent stones, eggs and jars to the government office and parliament building in downtown Skopje. I threw it. Police prevented a crowd of thousands from breaking into government agencies. Four policemen were injured in front of parliament.
Bulgaria has already officially accepted the French proposal and now needs the support of the North Macedonian Parliament.
Bulgaria officially acknowledges that North Macedonia has Bulgarian roots in its language, recognizes the Bulgarian minority, and claims to suppress "hate speech" towards Bulgaria.
North Macedonia has been a candidate for EU membership for 17 years. The country received a green light to start accession negotiations in 2020, but no start date has been set.
Before Bulgaria disputes, North Macedonia decades ago with another neighboring EU member, Greece, to promote its goal of joining the block of 27 countries. Resolved the dispute. As a result, Greece added the word North to its former name, Macedonia, which had been appealing for implicit claims about its territory, history, and cultural heritage.
The conflict with Bulgaria has stagnated progress towards EU accession of another Balkan country, Albania. This is because Brock treats this pair as a political package. North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania are all NATO member countries.
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