January 28 (BTA) - Bulgaria and North Macedonia are preparing to celebrate jointly the 150th birth anniversary of revolutionary Gotse Delchev on February 4, Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said during a hearing in the National Assembly on Friday.

The head of government said that the two countries' governments achieved significant progress in their dialogue in various areas at their joint meeting in Sofia on January 25. "We signed three memorandums in sectors that are of key importance to us: agriculture, small and medium-sized enterprises, and the development of Pan-European Corridor VIII," Petkov pointed out. He noted another focus of the talks: the rights of people in North Macedonia who identify themselves as Bulgarians, with Skopje stating a political intention to integrate them into that country's Constitution without, however, committing to a specific timeframe for this.

The Prime Minister confirmed that Bulgaria does not intend to replace any members of the joint multidisciplinary commission on historical and educational issues, which will hold new meetings shortly.

The European Commission is ready to provide financial support for the construction of a rail link between Sofia and Skopje, Petkov told Parliament. During his visit to Brussels on Thursday, the PM discussed the transport connectivity between the two countries with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who expressed support for this strategic and green project.

Ekaterina Zaharieva, a former foreign minister and MP of the opposition GERB-UDF, which initiated the hearing, advised the Prime Minister to lessen his enthusiasm on the subject because previous governments, too, have signed bilateral memorandum but nothing specific has followed.