Position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
06 May 2023 News.JPG)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria expresses its strong disappointment at the decision of the authorities in the Republic of North Macedonia to take action to mar the solemn celebration of St. George's Day on 6 May by refusing to allow the Bulgarian Member of the European Parliament and spokesperson for the European People's Party enlargement group, Dr. Andrei Kovachev, the Chairperson of the Bulgarian Memory Foundation, Dr. Milen Vrabevski, and three other Bulgarian citizens to enter their territory.
The event on the occasion of the holiday has been traditionally organized for years in Novo Selo, Strumica by the Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje, the Consulate General of Bulgaria in Bitola and the Bulgarian Memory Foundation through a ceremony at the Bulgarian military cemetery with a memorial service.
For the first year, the ceremony included a joint service between the two Orthodox churches, which was also attended by representatives of the military diplomatic corps in North Macedonia, as well as students from Bulgaria. The Bulgarian military cemetery in Novo Selo is one of 471 Bulgarian military cemeteries on the territory of North Macedonia, which was restored several years ago with funds from the Bulgarian Memory Foundation.
The reasons for the refusal, namely a ban on entry into North Macedonia, are puzzling.
In connection with today's unprecedented incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses that North Macedonia's stated claims for European integration require, at the very least, a cessation of provocations towards Bulgaria, the Bulgarians and the representatives of European institutions. The Bulgarian side will officially raise the issue with the authorities in North Macedonia and with our international partners, as developments of this nature have a negative impact on good neighbourly relations and the efforts of the Bulgarian side aimed at restoring trust and creating a positive climate for the development of bilateral relations.