Bulgarian Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska and her North Macedonian counterpart Bujar Osmani exchange a signed deal in Sofia. Photo: Dimitar DILKOFF / AFPSource: AFPEU member Bulgaria and North Macedonia on Sunday signed a deal in Sofia opening the way for European Union membership talks for the tiny Balkan nation and its Albanian neighbour. EU member Bulgaria had until recently blocked any progress for such talks because of a dispute between the countries over linguistic and historical issues. North Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani on Sunday hailed the "historic opportunity" at the signing ceremony for his country to start EU membership talks. "The agreement contains ambitious measures to sort out unresolved bilateral issues," said Bulgarian Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska, who warned that ironing out those issues could take "months or years".

Source: Daily Nation July 17, 2022 15:03 UTC