The second meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission under Art. 12 of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation between Sofia and Skopje began on Sunday at the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) reported. North Macedonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani said there would be no joint press conference after the expected signing of the bilateral protocol between Sofia and Skopje, which is part of the EU negotiating framework for the Republic of North Macedonia. The final text of the protocol will be made public on 18 July at the earliest in Brussels, Bujar Osmani said.

Representatives of VMRO led by the party’s co-chairpersons Angel Dzhambazki and Alexander Sidi lanched a protest in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.