Bulgarian Premier Aims to Break EU Deadlock With Balkan Neighbor

  • Petkov seeks talks with North Macedonia on economy, culture
  • Bulgaria blocking neighbor’s EU path over historical disputes
Kiril Petkov speaks in Sofia on Dec. 11, 2021.Photographer: Nikolay Doychinov/AFP/Getty Images
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Bulgaria’s new prime minister pledged to break a diplomatic deadlock over neighboring North Macedonia’s talks to join the European Union, a standoff that’s ground the nation’s EU ambitions to a halt.

Bulgaria has blocked North Macedonia’s talks to join the 27-member bloc over historic and linguistic claims, while asserting that the rights of Bulgarian nationals in the country are being violated.