Sofia, January 5 (BTA) - "The [ruling] coalition cannot possibly be divided over the subject of the Republic of North Macedonia," There Is Such a People (TISP) Floor Leader Toshko Yordanov told journalists in Parliament on Wednesday.

"There will be differences if any of the coalition partners decides that Bulgaria's position should be changed from what it is now. This would violate the coalition agreement. But I doubt it very much that anybody would risk wrecking the coalition agreement for this sake," Yordanov said.

Sofia has consistently blocked the start of North Macedonia's EU accession talks, insisting that Skopje should first meet the conditions in its Goodneighbourliness Treaty with Bulgaria, which include abandoning hate speech against Bulgaria, the distortion of historical facts in textbooks and elsewhere and the discrimination against its citizens who identify themselves as Bulgarians.

In a Facebook post earlier this week, TISP leader Slavi Trifonov suggested that Sofia can unblock the start of Skopje's EU accession talks if the US waives its visa requirements for Bulgarians, Bulgaria is immediately admitted to the border-free Schengen Area, and North Macedonia honours its obligations under the bilateral treaty. "If the US and the EU want us to be loyal partners, that is fine, but then loyalty goes both ways. We will be loyal to them, but they need to be loyal to us. That would be right. That would be fair," Trifonov argued.

Yordanov said that the TISP proposal is for an upgrade rather than a change of Bulgaria's position, and "it is addressed to our NATO and EU partners rather than to the Republic of North Macedonia."

"We'll wait and see how the [accession] talks will start, but this cannot possibly happen before the Republic of North Macedonia meets the most important condition, which is observing the 2017 Treaty with Bulgaria, because this is not the case for the time being," Stanislav Balabanov MP of TISP told journalists in Parliament.

Coalition Partners Beg to Differ

Even on Tuesday, Continue the Change (the leading partner in the government coalition) rejected Trifonov's idea. Continue the Change Floor Leader Andrey Gyurov commented on NOVA Television that "such linkage does not work at the international level." "Our position is very clear: we have a strategy for invigorating the talks with Skopje and diversifying them from history, which will help us narrow our differences," he pointed out. He added that, nevertheless, the Cabinet will also be lobbying for a US visa waiver and Bulgaria's entry into Schengen.

National Assembly Deputy Chair Miroslav Ivanov MP of Continue the Change commented that it was wrong to use North Macedonia's EU membership as a bargaining chip. "I think we should stick to the understanding in the coalition agreement, which is broadening the dialogue with Skopje, and these are our top priorities." He sees a need to focus on an enhancement of economic cooperation, including construction of a railway between Sofia and Skopje and planning the launch of an air service between the two capitals. "We should not breach good manners," Ivanov argued.

"We are extending a hand for the start of a constructive dialogue," said Lena Borislavova, Chief of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov's Political Cabinet. In her words, the Bulgarian position will continue to be defended and reasoned, and the existing framework will be upgraded by the formation of five working groups to address specific areas.

Bulgarian National Television reported on Tuesday, quoting the Council of Ministers, that Petkov's foreign policy adviser Vessela Tcherneva visited Skopje on January 2 in connection with the preparation of Petkov's forthcoming visit to North Macedonia for talks with that country's prospective Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski. Borislavova said that Tcherneva discussed the working groups that Bulgaria proposes.

Alexander Simov MP of BSP for Bulgaria, which, too, is part of the coalition, said that "trying to trifle with the national position" is a bad idea. This position is "clearly formulated, so I simply call on everybody to stop extemporizing and teasing on that subject," Simov pointed out. LN/LG