A new “headache” for Skopje after Deputy Minister of European Affairs of Portugal Ana Paula Zakaria acknowledged that the language of the country is of Bulgarian origin.

Zakaria, whose country holds the EU presidency, commented: “Negotiations between Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria are difficult … They are obviously related to the language of Northern Macedonia, which used to be Bulgarian”.

Strong reactions from Skopje followed with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev asking for explanations from the Portuguese Foreign Ministry.

Skopje and Sofia cross swords over the origin of the language spoken by the Slavic majority of the country and according to the Prespa Agreement it is called “Macedonian”, despite the fact that it is a Bulgarian dialect.

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Bulgaria insists that the so-called “Macedonian” language, should simply be named as the “official language of the Republic of Northern Macedonia”, or in some cases to have a footnote explaining: “Language according to the Constitution of the Republic of Northern Macedonia”.

Bulgaria also states that “the Macedonian language originated in 1944” and that it can be described as a “written regional form of the Bulgarian language”.

In this context, the start of negotiations between Northern Macedonia and Albania with the European Union has been blocked for months, as Bulgaria insists on resolving issues related to Skopje’s national identity and language.