Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Foreign Affairs Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva declined to meet Macedonia’s President Gjorge Ivanov during his visit to Sofia after Ivanov refused to accept a historic deal between Greece and Macedonia solving the 25-year name dispute.

Ivanov, who is on official visit to Sofia upon invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev, refused on June 13 to hear details of the agreement reached with Greece aimed at solving the long-standing dispute.

Ivanov made his stance clear the day after Social Democrat Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced that Macedonia and Greece reached a historic deal to solve the 25-year long spat, agreeing on the new name for the tiny Balkan country — Republic of Northern Macedonia — which will require constitutional changes. Zaev's government has agreed to Greek demands for erga omnes - for the new name to be used at home as well as internationally, which Ivanov and the opposition refuse to accept. 

Ivanov, who was elected as president for a second mandate with the support of the now opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, has repeatedly said that he is against any changes to the Constitution, which are needed for the implementation of the agreement, and to which the government has agreed with Athens. VMRO is also against erga omnes. 

“The Bulgarian government does not want to be used in the internal political debates of Macedonia. A key for the future development of our neighbouring country is its integration in the EU and Nato and it should not be put under question,” Mediapool quoted a government statement as saying. The deal with Athens is essential if Macedonia is to make progress towards EU and Nato membership. 

Sofia officially welcomed the deal reached by Macedonia and Greece, but also expressed hope that the new name will not be used by Macedonia to claim more territory or to make claims related to the language, culture, history or identity of its neighbours.

The agreed name contains a geographic identification that, according to some analysts, could give Macedonia grounds to claim territory from Bulgaria.