site.btaVice President Iotova Visits North Macedonia

Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Iotova arrived in Bitola for the opening of an exhibition marking the 125th anniversary of a Bulgarian diplomatic mission in that city and a commemoration of the Bulgarian war dead at a nearby military cemetery.

Iotova, former Bulgarian President (2002-2012) Georgi Parvanov, Bulgaria's Ambassador in Skopje Angel Angelov, Bulgarian diplomats and representatives of the Macedonian Scientific Institute and of Bulgarian associations in the country were present at the opening of the exhibition at Bulgaria's Consulate General in Bitola.

Eighteen panels show documents telling about the establishment of the consulate in 1897, when it doubled as a trade representation, its closure after the declaration of the First Balkan War in 1912, its reopening on December 27, 2006, and landmark events during that period. The idea is to keep the display as a permanent exhibit in the Consulate's building. 

Approached for comment on the Law on Associations and Foundations, which North Macedonia's Parliament passed recently and which imposes limitations on the historic figures that can be used to name them, Iotova said: "What concerns us and what will be checked in future is how this law operates, how it will be developed further." "From now on, I rule out following a path of provocations. We have common interests and common goals."

In her words, the apprehensions are lest such laws be used against the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia and lest bilateral relations be thrown back by years.

"We will be watching over the [bilateral Good-neighbourliness] Treaty of [2017] and the Protocol, which deals with hate speech, conflicts and history, and if the slightest shadow is cast and a process of rejection of Bulgarians in North Macedonia begins, our response will be categorical. I still trust the power of reason," the Vice President pointed out.

Later on Saturday, Iotova, Parvanov, Angelov, Bulgarian Consul General Dimitar Ivanov and other officials attended a traditional military and religious ceremony at a Bulgarian military cemetery in the village of Tsapari, where 214 Bulgarian soldiers and officers killed during WW I are buried. In 2004 that cemetery became the first officially recognized Bulgarian military cemetery in North Macedonia.

Wreaths were also laid on behalf of the Minister of Defence, the Defence Attaches of Croatia, Italy and Romania, the Director of the Bulgarian Culture and Information Centre in Skopje Antonia Veleva, and the Bulgarian associations in North Macedonia.

The commemoration took place on the Soul Saturday before the Feast of St Michael the Archangel.