Macedonian Foreign Minister Timcho Mutsunski expects an apology from Bulgaria regarding the absence of the Macedonian flag during the meeting between the presidents of the two countries Rumen Radev and Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova.
"If the other side approaches in good faith, as we did, then it is natural to apologise after such a protocol mistake and can say that it was a mistake and that it was not intended as any form of insult or mutual humiliation," Mutsunski said in an interview with the 360 Degrees programme.
Earlier on September 16, North Macedonia's foreign ministry summoned the Bulgarian ambassador in Skopje, Zhelyazko Radukov, to be served with a protest. The diplomatic department said Radukov had refused to receive the protest note.
Mutsunski also commented on the Macedonian government's intentions to seek a renegotiation of the negotiating framework with the EU - the French 2.0 proposal.
"The French proposal 2.0. is an addition to everything that exists at the moment as a factual situation, so that we are absolutely sure, without any hesitation, that from the moment we start negotiations with the EU, we will no longer have a bilateral agreement (with Bulgaria - ed.). Which does not mean that a member state will not be able to block us in terms of not carrying out reforms in the area of public finances, in terms of not carrying out reforms in the area of the rule of law, but to stop these bilateral demands that have been dragging us down for more than 30 years," the foreign minister of North Macedonia added. | BGNES
