Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has recently taken yet another opportunity to remind Macedonia that on its way to the EU it has Bulgarian support only not at all cost, Dnevnik comments.

“From our point of view, there are conditions that need to be met so we can continue extending support the way we have done over the past 20 years,” Minister Mladenov said in Blagoevgrad during his visit to Bulgaria’s border regions.

The goal of the visit, as Mladenov explained, was hearing the opinion of the local people and authorities before drafting the announced document about Bulgaria’s policy toward its neighbors.

“Our goal has never been to block Macedonia’s or any other country’s European integration,” Mladenov said and added that Bulgaria should not be afraid to speak its mind and table the problems in its relations with Macedonia because only in that way can it protect its own interests.