Position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
21 April 2022 News.jpg)
We express out surprise at the acute position of representatives of the authorities in the Republic of North Macedonia and the anti-Bulgarian campaign waged in the media in our neighboring country over the past few days in connection with the opening of a club of the Ivan Mihaylov Cultural Centre in Bitola on April 16, 2022.
Once again, we are witnessing hate speech against Bulgaria, which is encouraged by parliamentary political parties, public figures and representatives of the academic community.
Particularly worrying is the fact that attempts are being made to unjustifiably equate Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people with fascism. The dissemination of tendentiously wrong historical interpretations is precisely one of the reasons why we have signed a Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and why we have established a Joint Commission on Historical Issues. The need for it to make real progress on the sensitive issues of our common history is obvious.
We would like to remind you that the “Ivan Mihaylov Cultural Centre” is registered according to the requirements of the local legislation and has been functioning since 2019, without its name having been the subject of a visible negative reaction of the authorities and the public in our neighbouring country, to date. These facts lead to the conviction that the campaign that has erupted in the last few days is in fact not related to the name, but is directed against the activities of the organization actively engaged in the problems of the Bulgarians in North Macedonia and the realization of their rights.
We underline that the Bulgarian state will continue to make all necessary efforts, in accordance with international law, to support and protect the Bulgarians in North Macedonia.
We expect from the responsible structures in our neighbouring country a constructive contribution to the ongoing process of restoring the trust and building a favourable environment for Bulgarians in North Macedonia, as well as anyone who wants to develop friendly relations with Bulgaria.
In recent months, the Bulgarian state has made significant efforts to promote a positive climate in the bilateral relations, including by initiating platforms for enhanced development of sectoral cooperation. In an open spirit, Bulgaria will continue to work purposefully to build real good neighbourly relations, but it also relies on its partners in North Macedonia for this.