(Bloomberg) -- North Macedonia’s parliament approved a new government that has vowed to advance negotiations with neighboring Bulgaria in an effort to resolve a bilateral dispute that has blocked accession talks with the European Union. 

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, a 47-year-old Harvard-trained economist and the leader of the country’s Social Democratic Union, took over from Zoran Zaev, who brought the country into NATO and improved relations with the 27-nation EU. 

Under Zaev, the former Yugoslav country changed its name to overcome a veto by Greece to be able to join the military alliance and advance in EU membership talks.

But that progress has been blocked by neighboring Bulgaria over a dispute involving history and language. Authorities in Sofia also claim that North Macedonia violates the rights of its Bulgarian nationals. 

Now a new government in Bulgaria wants to shift focus away from history and advance relations in the economy, infrastructure and culture to restore the trust between the two countries. The two new prime ministers are set to meet Tuesday.

“Talks with Bulgaria will continue and intensify” as “we have an extraordinary strategic interest to start EU membership talks,” Kovacevski told lawmakers last week.

Kovacevski will lead a broad coalition with several parties representing ethnic Albanians, who make up about a quarter of the country’s population.  

He now has the support of 64 lawmakers in the 120-member assembly. His partners have signaled they may revoke their support for the government if it doesn’t pass an electoral reform. 

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