Bulgaria is strongly committed to signing a good-neighbor agreement with Macedonia and is negotiating to settle the matters that still exist in the bilateral relations, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin has said.



“The differences of principle between the two countries are related mainly to three key issues” Vigenin told the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) on Monday.



He assured that Bulgarian government continues conducting talks with Skopje regarding the key differences that still need to be settled.



The Bulgarian Foreign Minister explained that one of the issues is due to the common history that the two countries share and it concerns the arrangement of celebrating important historic dates.



The second issue is an article of Macedonia’s constitution regarding the treatment of minorities in the neighboring countries, while the third issue is related to linguistic matters, according to Vigenin.



Bulgaria and Macedonia share a common past and a similar language.

Relations between the two countries have been strained since late 2012, when Bulgaria joined Greece in vetoing an EU decision to set a starting date for accession negotiations with Macedonia.

Bulgaria's grievances are against discrimination in Macedonia against citizens who determine themselves as Bulgarians, as well as against Macedonia’s encroachment on parts of Bulgaria's historic and cultural heritage.