Varhelyi, Silva Present Proposal for Resolving Skopje-Sofia Bilateral Dispute
Enlargement Commissioner at the European Commission (EC) Oliver Varhelyi and Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva paid an official visit to Sofia and Skopje on Friday. Varhelyi and Silva presented their proposal for resolution of the bilateral disputes between Skopje and Sofia to Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Deputy PM for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov and Foreign Affairs Minister Bujar Osmani.
“For us the most important thing is that this proposed resolution does not breach our red lines, i.e. it does not bring into question our identity and language and their authenticity. I believe this proposal satisfies the Bulgarian side too, and I hope it will be met with similar enthusiasm in Sofia like in Skopje,” Zaev said. Portuguese FM Silva, whose country currently manages the presidency over EU, said that the EU enlargement process is very important for the Portuguese presidency a
Varhelyi, Silva to Visit Skopje on Friday
The European Commission (EC) confirmed on Thursday that Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi and Portuguese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva will pay visit to Sofia and Skopje on Friday. Namely, Varhelyi and Silva will allegedly present a proposal for resolution of the bilateral dispute between official Sofia and Skopje, which has been the reason for delaying of the start of the EU accession talks with the latter. This visit was also announced by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev while he was in Brussels on Wednesday. Varhelyi and Silva will arrive in Sofia first, and then will travel to Skopje on Friday afternoon. In meantime, Bulgarian media reports of an interview with VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski in which he calls for Macedonia to one-sidedly abandon the Good-Neighbourliness Agreement with Bulgaria.
Outsiders cannot support Israeli policies towards Palestinians - Alfred Sant
Addressing the European Parliament, the Labour MEP stressed that EU policy should be built on an understanding of where the responsibilities lie in the conflict
20 May 2021, 3:33pm
by Nicole Meilak
There is no longer any reasonable way by which outsiders can support Israeli policies towards Palestinians, Alfred Sant stated on Thursday.
Speaking at a plenary session in the European Parliament, the Labour MEP said that Israel has left Palestinians in anger and despair, noting how recent escalations originated with the forced eviction of Palestinian families from their East Jerusalem. Legal tit-for-tat cannot hide any more that |sraeli policy aims to enclose Palestinians in a Bantustan under Israeli domination, even while more Palestinian lands are taken over by illegal Israeli settlers, he said in a statement.
Following the recent upsurge in violence between Israel and Palestine, MEPs stress the need for an immediate ceasefire to avoid further civilian casualties.