A Note to Sofia, Not a New Framework: What Actually Changed After von der Leyen
Mickoski asked Mucunski to schedule a meeting in Sofia next week on von der Leyen's advice, while Mucunski says the diplomatic note means 'the topic is closed' — yet he's simultaneously demanding an apology from Bulgaria over the note's leak.
Prime Minister Christijan Mickoski said that on the advice of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he asked Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski to schedule an official meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart next week in Sofia. The Foreign Ministry has already requested a date for the meeting.
Mucunski, for his part, said that "from an official standpoint, we have closed the topic with the diplomatic note, it's Bulgaria's move" — a stance suggesting Skopje believes it has already done its part and the ball is in Bulgaria's court. At the same time, he summoned the Bulgarian ambassador for a conversation and demanded an apology from Sofia, after the note's contents leaked to the public before the official exchange between the ministries.
The combination of these three developments — scheduling a meeting, claiming the topic is closed, and demanding an apology over a leak — shows that the "first step" announced by von der Leyen so far amounts to procedural activity and diplomatic correspondence, not a concrete change in the negotiating framework or a timeline for opening chapters.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 4, 2026
