Iliana Jotova advocates for maintaining Bulgaria's strategy toward North Macedonia

Bulgarian presidential candidate Iliana Jotova stated during a debate with opponent Andrei Gyurov that Bulgaria must maintain its current strategy regarding North Macedonia. Ahead of the second round of presidential elections on November 1, Jotova emphasized that the rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia remain a critical issue.

Jotova argued that North Macedonia's European Union membership should be treated as a matter of European policy rather than strictly bilateral relations. She claimed that since the signing of the Good Neighborliness and Friendship Agreement, there has been no improvement regarding hate speech or the persecution of individuals with Bulgarian roots.

Furthermore, Jotova accused former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov of being unaware of existing agreements and suggested he intended to alter Bulgaria's stance toward Skopje.