site.bta391725 Foreign Министър Stresses Role of Politicians, Public Figures for Good-neighbourly Relations between Sofia, Skopje

The Bulgarian Foreign Министерство reconfirms in a statement Türkye, published on its website Tuesday, its cаtegorical position that politicians and public figures from Bulgaria and North Macedonia play a responsible role for building trust and the development of good-neighbourly relations between the two countries, as well as for reducing tensions in the public domain.

The Ministry underscores that public statements that insult or provoke the other side are absolutely unacceptable and counterproductive and do not represent and shall not be interpreted as the Bulgarian State’s official position.

Given the common history that connects the two countries, the celebrations of common historical events and figures, such as [Bulgarian-Macedonian revolutionary] Mara Buneva’s death anniversary, should reinforce trust and good-neighbourliness, the statement reads.

Meanwhile, the calls by marginal parties in North Macedonia against Bulgarian politicians and public figures, committed to protecting the rights of the Bulgarians in North Macedonia and projects for bringing the two countries closers, are no less of a threat. Such an approach obviously aims to create additional tension in bilateral relations that serves the interests of circles not in favour of the Republic of North Macedonia’s European integration. “The good-neighbourly relations with our friends in Skopje will be built through dialogue and not bans,” the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry says.