At a meeting with EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Olivér Várhelyi, who is on a working visit to Bulgaria, President Rumen Radev said that the EU enlargement should be based on principles that take into account each country's own merits in the integration process. "Compliance with this principle is a guarantee for preserving stability and security in Europe," he stressed.

According to the Bulgarian Head of State, the European integration of the Western Balkans has no alternative and the progress of the countries in the region should not fall out of the focus of the European institutions.

"Statements made by leading political figures in the Republic of North Macedonia during the election campaign of a provocative nature do not help strengthen the dialogue between our two countries," Rumen Radev further said. He added that good neighbourliness is a key aspect in the enlargement process and underlined Bulgaria's readiness - despite the negative messages from Skopje - to renew efforts for constructive bilateral cooperation.