site.btaPresident Radev Says Skopje's Road to EU Goes through Recognition and Respect for Bulgarians' Rights

President Rumen Radev said Thursday that an attack against a Bulgarian culture club in Ohrid, the Republic of North Macedonia, the day before was "an inadmissible act of aggression that has been inspired for decades against the Bulgarians". Skopje's road to EU accession goes through recognition and respect for Bulgarians' rights, he added.

The attack, the third since the club's opening in October and the second in the past four days, occurred on Wednesday evening when an unknown assailant shot with a firearm at the club, leaving two holes in the club's window. The Foreign Ministries in Sofia and in Skopje condemned the attack.

The Bulgarian President said that the state leadership and people in the Republic of North Macedonia "must understand that the road to the EU goes through recognizing and respecting the rights of Macedonian Bulgarians, of our cultural and historical heritage".

He also said: "When we were under immense pressure to allow the Republic of North Macedonia unconditional start EU accession talks, I imposed a veto twice and raised the issue of the rights of Macedonian Bulgarians with our allies and partners in the EU. First, their rights need to be guaranteed by adding them to the Constitution of the country and then open the road to negotiations."