Bulgaria wants results to let Skopje start EU accession talks

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev attends an EU Summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, December 16, 2021. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/Pool

SOFIA (Reuters) - The lifting of Bulgaria's veto on the start of North Macedonia's talks to join the European Union must be linked to tangible results and not to any timeline, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said on Monday.

Bulgaria has blocked the opening of formal EU membership talks with North Macedonia due to a dispute over history and language. It has since been under pressure from its Western allies in the EU and NATO to break the diplomatic deadlock.