The Bulgarian government approved at Wednesday's session the Agreement on friendship, good neighborly relations and cooperation with the Republic of Macedonia, the government's press office has said.
"The signing of the friendship treaty with Macedonia reflects Bulgaria’s will to build modern neighbourly relations based on the European values", said Prime Minister Boyko Borisov during the session.
Borisov added that several Bulgarian governments invested efforts over the years in the negotiations, taking into consideration Bulgaria's national interest, BTA reports.
According to him, the visit of Macedonian PM Zoran Zaev to Sofia and the expressed position over the common history is the first step in the efforts to build a new spirit of relations among neighbors.
"The European Union has seen the agreement as the first step and a new beginning in Macedonia's European perspective", added Borisov.
"The signing of the treaty will lead to bilateral and multilateral cooperation, expansion of transport connections and communications, participation and absorption of funds as part of regional and cross-border projects, as well as facilitating contacts between the citizens of the two countries", reads the press release.
