As North Macedonia’s parliament is set to vote on the French proposal which could see the veto from Bulgaria over EU accession lifted, protestors have assembled outside of parliament.
Bulgaria vetoed the country’s EU path over disputes relating to language, culture, and history. Meanwhile, protestors say that the French proposal, which aims to settle some issues during negotiations, is akin to “ethnicide”.
After protests on Wednesday, a number of protestors remained overnight and continued their protest on Thursday as lawmakers are set to the put the proposal to a vote.
Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski stated there are concerns protests could once again erupt into conflict.
“We have information and data about what they are preparing, in what way certain groups are being organized, the change of their strategies and others, for this reason we have prepared the plan that will guarantee security for the citizens”, said Spasovski.
There have been claims that Russia is interfering in the situation, looking to destabilise countries in the region, something Moscow’s embassy in Sofia denied. Spasovski and President Stevo Pendarovski were clear that no one will be allowed to interfere in decisions on the country’s future.
