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North Macedonia’s foreign minister said Tuesday that 2030 was a “realistic” date for his country’s accession to the European Union, despite long-standing diplomatic rifts with its EU neighbour Bulgaria.

North Macedonia’s EU hopes have long been thwarted by Bulgarian demands that Skopje change its constitution to acknowledge the Bulgarian minority.

But North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski said he was optimistic of a breakthrough, and that EU entry “may be realistic by 2030 if there is political will”.

“My optimism stems from the fact that for the past few months we have had a government whose deeds prove it is seeking European integration,” he said after meeting his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavsky in Prague.

Mucunski took office after the right-wing nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party, of which he is a member, won a general election in May.

The party has vowed to stand firm against Bulgaria and refused to acknowledge a 2018 deal with Greece settling a long-running dispute over the country’s name.

But Mucunski said North Macedonia was making progress in reforms demanded by Brussels, including combating corruption, and urged the EU to show courage in welcoming new members.

Last week, the EU Commission said North Macedonia “needs to continue to deliver on the implementation of EU-related reforms,” including strengthening trust in the justice system.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said enlargement remained “a top priority”.

Mucunski said his country was ready to “lead talks with Bulgaria on compromises and solutions which will make our EU accession realistic”.

“We want to stop dealing with their demands for changes without seeing any results,” he added.

Last month, conservatives came first but without a majority in Bulgaria’s general election, the seventh in less than four years, and it is uncertain whether they can form a government.

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