Macedonia Approves Landmark Friendship Treaty with Bulgaria

Despite a boycott by VMRO DPMNE, Macedonia's right-wing main opposition party, 61 of the parliament's 120 MPs voted for the agreement. The landmark accord was signed in August 2017 and aims to end the often fraught bilateral relationship between Skopje and Sofia and bring the two countries closer through an EU-oriented partnership.

The agreement came after more than five years of negotiations between the two sides, the majority of which took place during the former Macedonian government led by VMRO DPMNE.

Led by VMRO DPMNE, members of Macedonia's opposition claimed the deal might hurt national interests and sat out the vote.

"It would have been good if they [VMRO DPMNE] supported this agreement (…) especially because the need for this type of agreement came from policies that worsened [bilateral] relations to the extent that the other side insisted on signing it" Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov told MPs in the parliament before votes were cast.

Having been relegated to the opposition the VMRO DPMNE have accused Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his Social Democrats of treason after he moved to resolve all outstanding bilateral issues with his Bulgarian counterpart, Boyko Borissov, and later signed the friendship agreement.

The treaty, which was already ratified by the vast majority in the Bulgarian parliament, recognizes both countries' territorial integrity, envisages the establishment of a commission that will try to resolve their differing views of history [link], and contains a pledge to protect the rights of the other country's nationals living on their soil - but not to interfere in the other's domestic affairs.

The agreement is seen as the basis of Bulgaria's pledge to help its smaller neighbour...