The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) should respect its commitments to Bulgaria and Greece if it wants to become a full member of NATO and the EU, warns Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Krassimir Karakatsanov.

As he pointed out, speaking on radio in his country, this means eliminating territorial claims and falsifications of history, as well as respecting the treaties signed with Greece and Bulgaria.

He added that only when the true history of Macedonia replaces the 70-year forgery in textbooks, Bulgaria will be convinced that things are going in the right direction.

“‘Macedonia’ is in a hurry to join NATO because, like many Bulgarian politicians 20 years ago, it naively believes that NATO membership will almost automatically solve all its problems. Accession to NATO is an opportunity to solve the problems, but without their participation and willingness, no one else could resolve them, neither Brussels nor the NATO Secretary General, nor any other member state, including of Bulgaria”, he said.