Bulgaria hardens stance on Macedonia's EU bid

(SOFIA) - Bulgarian officials on Wednesday hardened their stance against neighbouring Macedonia's bid to join the EU, as European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele visited Sofia.

"We cannot grant an EU certificate to the actions of the leaders in Skopje, who systematically impose an ideology of hatred against Bulgaria," Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said after meeting with Fuele.

He urged Skopje to "end its anti-Bulgarian campaign" and discontinue what he called "a tendency for one-sided interpretation of history in a strongly nationalistic way."

Sofia was the first to recognise the Republic of Macedonia under its constitutional name when it broke from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, but the two countries have been at loggerheads over how they interpret whole periods of their history since the Middle Ages, with both claiming to be the homeland of the same historical figures.

Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov insisted Wednesday that Macedonia has "to meet the requirements of the EU ... regarding good-neighbourly relations in order to join the European family."

Fuele meanwhile urged Bulgaria to keep its role as a driver of EU integration for the rest of the Balkans, despite its concerns.

"We are convinced that both countries can address and solve any open issues in a good neighbourly spirit based on European Union values. I am confident that through constructive dialogue and common understanding real progress can be achieved," the commissioner said.

Macedonia's bid to join the European Union is still blocked by a name dispute with Greece.