Mickoski expects nothing from Mucunski’s meeting in Sofia: “There may be dialogue, but no concrete result”

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski declared today that he has no expectations from the meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Timčo Mucunski, with his Bulgarian counterpart Velislava Petrova-Chamova, which is held on Thursday in Sofia, as Press24 reports.

According to Skopje1’s reporting, the prime minister described the meeting as an “empty meeting”, stressing that from official Sofia’s behaviour there is no basis for great expectations — there may be dialogue, but no concrete result.

The meeting was requested after the visit of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to Skopje (30 September – 2 October), who advised Skopje that the first step should be an official bilateral meeting during Mucunski’s stay in Sofia, on the margins of the ministerial meeting on Corridor 8, as Info Mak writes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a diplomatic note for the meeting.

Asked about elections, Mickoski said the mandate is four years, but the government is also ready for early elections, according to Skopje1.

Context: North Macedonia’s European integration remains blocked by the dispute with Bulgaria, and Thursday’s meeting is the third this year between the two chief diplomats.