Mucunski after the Sofia meeting: no substantive issue resolved

North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Timčo Mucunski met his Bulgarian counterpart in Sofia on October 8, after the international ministerial conference on Corridor VIII. According to BTA, the meeting was requested by North Macedonia at the suggestion of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Mucunski described the talks as constructive and positive, but said “we did not resolve any substantive issue” and that the two sides remain far apart.

Earlier, on October 2 in Skopje, von der Leyen announced a first step toward breaking the deadlock and said that once the stalemate is overcome the process could move “very quickly”, but also that “there is still a lot of work to be done”. Mickoski then said a diplomatic note would be sent and that he had asked the minister to request a meeting. That meeting took place on October 8.

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The two sides agreed to continue the dialogue. The next ministerial meeting on Corridor VIII will most likely be held in Skopje in early 2027. They also discussed the action plan on the minority and agreed to keep talking about it, but Mucunski gave no details. The return of the remains of Tsar Samuel was not discussed.

This updates yesterday's reporting, when we wrote that we could not find confirmation of whether the meeting in Sofia had taken place. It is now known: it did, and according to the Macedonian minister it produced no result on substantive issues.

Mucunski also spoke about trust. According to him, there is “considerable distrust” between the two countries over European integration, which he linked to the predictability of the process. He said Bulgaria has a strategic interest in North Macedonia advancing on its European path, and that these issues should not burden the European path. According to BTA, he also set out firm positions on questions of language, identity, history and culture. His statement carries messages for both sides: “we will build trust if we remain firm in what we share with each other”.

Mucunski also met Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos. They discussed reforms and strategic interests, and he said the Commission has a strong interest in progress toward the start of accession negotiations.

Where is the formal framework? According to North Macedonia, the EU negotiating framework requires Bulgarians to be included in the Macedonian constitution before the second intergovernmental conference can open and negotiations begin, as BTA reported from Mickoski's statement of September 21. Von der Leyen said on October 2 that North Macedonia still lacks the last step to open the first cluster, on fundamentals. That step remains unchanged after the Sofia meeting.

What is not known? It is not known what the discussion of the action plan specifically contains, since Mucunski gave no details, nor whether Bulgaria will accept North Macedonia's remarks. It is also unclear whether a new bilateral meeting will be held before 2027.

What does it mean? The dialogue is open, but without movement on substance. The coming months will show whether the “constructive” tone turns into concrete steps or remains only a tone.

MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 20, 2026