Bulgarian PM visits North Macedonia to boost battered ties

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES
Associated Press

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — The new prime ministers of North Macedonia and Bulgaria have agreed to redouble efforts to improve relations between the two Balkan neighbors, which soured after Bulgaria blocked North Macedonia’s bid to join the European Union. Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov’s visit to Skopje Tuesday came only two days after North Macedonia’s parliament confirmed the country’s new cabinet, led by Social Democrat leader Dimitar Kovachevski. The two prime ministers told a joint press conference in Skopje that their “common goal is to create a better future” for both countries. The simmering dispute came to a head in 2020, after EU member Bulgaria vetoed the start of its small neighbor’s formal accession talks with the 27-nation bloc.