Sofia, June 14 (BTA) - President Rumen Radev Thursday called on his Macedonian counterpart Gjorge Ivanov to restore as quickly as possible the important dialogue between institutions in such a critical moment for Macedonia, so as to avoid any opportunities for the country's Euro-Atlantic and EU integration process to be halted. The Bulgarian head of State was speaking at a joint news conference with President Ivanov, who arrived on an official visit to Bulgaria Thursday morning at Radev's invitation.

The two presidents had a one-on-one meeting.

Radev called on Ivanov to be not just a participant but also a leader in this dialogue in Macedonia, because this is an important condition for the achievement of Macedonia's strategic priorities: membership in the EU and NATO.

Bulgaria welcomes the efforts for solving the Macedonia name dispute, because this is an important step towards the Euro-Atlantic and European integration of Bulgaria's neighbours, which this country supports, Radev noted.

He went on to say that Bulgaria is highly alarmed by Wednesday's development in its neighbour, the interruption of the dialogue between institutions in a moment so critical for Macedonia. The stakes are very high at present, and not just for Macedonia and Greece, but also for the entire Balkans and Europe, he added.

"We need firm guarantees that the Treaty of Friendship, Good-neighbourliness and Cooperation, signed between Macedonia and Bulgaria [in 2017], will remain fully in force when we have the Republic of Northern Macedonia as a neighbour," Radev said in reply to a journalist's question.

He also said that while Macedonia's treaty with Greece does not exclude corrections and revocation, the one with Bulgaria allows termination, which makes it necessary that Bulgaria seek additional guarantees that Macedonia will not in any way interfere in and support organizations on Bulgarian territory whose policy is directed against this country's constitution. Radev expects the Bulgarian Government and Foreign Ministry, as an additional guarantee for the implementation of the Treaty of Friendship's provisions, to include these commitments under Chapter 35 of the future negotiating framework agreement for Macedonia's accession to the EU.

Asked about Bulgaria's position on the proposed name "Republic of Northern Macedonia", Radev said that since Macedonia's recognition in 1992, not a single Bulgarian government has formulated specific conditions and pretences to the country's name and, consequently, this issue is not present either in the 1999 political declaration between Bulgaria and Macedonia or in the 2017 Treaty of Friendship.

Radev said that Bulgaria is the country which supports the most strongly Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic and European perspective, therefore Bulgaria accepts the results of the Greek-Macedonian negotiations on the name dispute in the sense that these remove significant obstacles to the integration process. However, it should be clear that the main condition for Bulgaria's support is the strict observation of the postulates of the 1999 political declaration and, above all, Art. 11 of the 2017 Treaty of Friendship, under which the two countries are obliged to not undertake unfriendly actions against each other, to not use their territories for separatist organizations, to not have territorial pretences, and to neutralize propaganda directed at hatred and violence, Radev argued. In his words, the strict observation of this treaty's provisions is not only a guarantee for the Bulgarian national interest's protection but also a necessary condition for Macedonia's problem-free path to Europe.

Ivanov in turn recalled his country's efforts to join the EU and NATO. He noted that a solution is sought to overcome the obstacles, adding, however, that it should involve amending the Macedonian Constitution. Commenting on the recent agreement reached between his country and Greece about the name dispute, Ivanov said that he had his first chance to see the agreement on Wednesday, recalling his position that Macedonia's strategic goals should not come at the cost of signing detrimental agreements to his country. Ivanov expressed hope for rationality and a mutual solution, instead of an ultimatum against Macedonia. He also said he hopes that the friendship, cooperation and trust with Bulgaria will continue regardless of the agreement's outcome.

Answering a question, the Macedonian head of State insisted that he had not chased out of his office Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, but was not familiarized with the document he was presented, which is why their meeting was kept short. Ivanov asked why he should be the one to legalize the document, given that he was excluded from the process of its drafting. He also denied allegations that he obstructs the stability in the region.

The Macedonian President thanked for the fact that his visit to Bulgaria comes at a very sensitive time for his country, adding that in such times one can see their true friends. He also expressed gratitude to Bulgaria for bringing the region on the EU agenda during its EU Presidency. Both presidents noted that the results of the agreement signed between Bulgaria and Macedonia can be already seen in the bilateral economic cooperation, tourism and investments.

The two heads of state were also asked to comment on the cancellation of the meeting of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov with the visiting Macedonian President, with the motive that the Bulgarian Government does not want to interfere in the home affairs of Macedonia and sees no point in being used in the internal political debates of Skopje.

President Ivanov said he was surprised by Prime Minister Borissov's decision, which is his responsibility. He is not just the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, but also of a country presiding over the EU Council, Ivanov said, describing Borissov's decision to cancel the meeting as taking a side.

"I believe that when you call on someone to have dialogue, you should not avoid them," Radev commented. "I hope that our priorities about the Western Balkans are not boiled down to just hugs. We must demonstrate leadership and responsibility in difficult times, and not abdicate from the problems," the Bulgarian head of State said. According to Radev, Bulgaria should seek intense contacts and dialogue not only with the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, but with all the other institutions as well.

Approached to comment on the initiative for a strategic partnership agreement between Bulgaria and Macedonia, Radev said he has presented the initiative with his proposal to the Bulgarian Government, but such a strategic document requires time and coordination between all institutions.

There are huge opportunities before the two countries, such as organizing joint commemorations of persons and events from their common past, as well as a number of economic, tourism, education, science and tourism projects, Radev said.

The Bulgarian President noted that this is his third meeting with Ivanov in the past four months, which clearly shows the common desire to work towards deepening bilateral relations.