The Prehistory of the Good Neighbor Treaty with the Republic of Macedonia and Its “Hidden Reefs”

The dates 20 and 21 June 2017 will remain forever remembered in the history of bilateral relations between the Republics of Bulgaria and Macedonia. These are the dates on which Skopje’s governmental delegation of Prime Minister Zaev paid an official visit to Sofia. 

The Prime Ministers of the two negotiating parties, deeply convinced in the need for mutual respect, trust, amity, and consideration of their countries’ interests, signed on 1 August 2017 in the government building of Skopje the long-awaited and necessary Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation. This was made without any additional international collaboration or pressure from a third side. 

In this respect, the treaty is an example to which the remaining countries in the region can refer in future bilateral issues. And the entire process is a demonstration of the democratic foreign policy orientation underlying the views of both countries’ leaders.