site.btaBulgarian State Officials Attend Opening of Cultural Club in Bitola, Vow to Protect Rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia

A Bulgarian delegation headed by Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and including Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska and Vice President Iliana Iotova, as well as MPs from various political groups, visited Bitola in North Macedonia on Saturday for the opening of a new club of the Ivan Mihailov cultural centre. Petkov told reporters that Bulgarians in North Macedonia must be protected. Foreign Minister Genchovska said that she is determined to see Bulgarians included in the Constitution of North Macedonia and Vice President Iotova said that it is the most important condition for Skopje to start EU accession talks.

The Ivan Mihailov Centre

The Ivan Mihailov cultural centre was established and registered in mid-2019 to work with the Bulgarian community in the Republic of North Macedonia, to hold observances of red-letter days in Bulgarian history and to take care of monuments and locations related to the Bulgarian historical heritage. The cultural centre worked hard to convince the Bulgarians in North Macedonia to register in the 2021 census and declare their Bulgarian nationality. The Ivan Mihailov Centre is chaired by Ljubco Georgievski.

Prime Minister Petkov said that his visit to Bitola together with representatives of other state institutions and political forces in Bulgaria shows the commitment of Bulgaria to the matter.

"We cannot play party-to-party on this issue: we have to play on a national level. We need to be united - but not only in Bulgaria. We need to stand united with the Bulgarians in North Macedonia as well. They are the bridge between the two countries and their rights must be protected," Petkov said.

He added that "it is in Bulgaria's best interest to see the Republic of North Macedonia join the EU but at this stage Bulgarians there are not fully protected".

Petkov went on to say that Bulgaria and North Macedonia have good communication.

He also said that the issue cannot be used for domestic policy goals and urged all state institutions to work together in this department "if we want to have peace and stability in the Balkans". 

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska said her goal “is to give a sense of confidence to the Bulgarians in North Macedonia” and she “will do her best to see them entered in the Constitution of this country”.

She said that the Prime Minister and heself have the same position on the issue of the EU integration of North Macedonia. "The Foreign Ministry implements the official policy of Bulgaria on North Macedonia according to the framework position and with the support of Parliament," she said.

Her remark was a reference to suspicions that the Prime Minister and herself have diverging positions on the start of Skopje's EU accession, with the Prime Minister aiming to see faster progress of the process.

Genchovska said that she hopes Bulgaria's partners in the EU "will show understanding about the problems that we need to resolve together with our colleagues from North Macedonia". "I rely on support, not pressure, from our partners," she said.

The Foreign Minister noted that her expectation is that Skopje will meet its commitments and produce tangible results.

Vice President Iliana Iotova said Bulgaria is determined to stand by its position on the start of EU accession talks with Skopje, for which it has a national consensus. "Including Bulgarians in the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia is a statesmanly act and a condition for future EU membership. The Constitution is the highest guarantee and we insist for one," she said.

Iotova said that the rights of Bulgarians are the topmost condition for the start of North Macedonia's EU accession, and there need to be very specific commitments and deadlines for that.

Turning to the Bulgarians in North Macedonia, she said: "In the family of the European peoples, you are free to call yourselves Bulgarians, to proudly name your families and speak the language you want and honour your Bulgarian heritage."

The Vice President was adamant that Skopje's path to the EU "will be opened when they walk it together with Bulgaria, resolve the bilateral disputes and show tangible results". "There is no way this can happen with pressure from the outside."

She also said: "The lies and the prejudices soaked with hate speech are poison that our parents had to drink but we won't give the same to our children. Our common history and memory are indivisible."

Iotova conveyed greetings from President Rumen Radev. "I assure you that we will continue, at all levels - national and international, to raise the issue of your rights in North Macedonia as the most important condition for the future membership of this country in the EU," she said as she turned to Bulgarians attending the opening of a new club of the Ivan Mihailov Cultural Centre.

Bulgarian Socialist Party MP Dragomir Stoynev, who was also on the delegation, said: "This is the best possible sign that could confirm that all political forces desire stability in the region.” “Human rights are the essence of European values. Anyone wanting to accede to the EU should abide by these rights. It is important to use that the Bulgarian minority does not feel discriminated. If we forget hate speech we shall see how nice and beneficial it is to be friends and live together,” he added.

Opposition GERB-UDF MP and former foreign minister Ekaterina Zaharieva, too, saw the visit as a good sign. Zaharieva  expressed hope that it had shown the people who were there  that the main task of all politicians and governments would be to protect their rights.

The event was also attended by former defence minister and VMRO Honorary Chairman Krassimir Karakachanov, as well as 44th national Assembly Chair Tsveta Karayancheva.

The Bulgarian position

In November 2020, Bulgaria vetoed the negotiation framework for North Macedonia's planned accession to the European Union. The Bulgarian Government put forward strict demands for Skopje in a framework position endorsed by the National Assembly (Parliament). Sofia wants its neighbour to give up hate speech against Bulgarians, reconsider what Bulgaria sees as a distorted view on the two countries' common history, and protect the rights of the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia. Sofia also refuses to recognize the existence of a "Macedonian minority" in Bulgaria. It argues that the Macedonian language is, essentially, a dialect of Bulgarian. Bulgaria has deplored North Macedonia's perceived failure to implement the bilateral Treaty on Friendship, Good-Neighbourliness and Cooperation, signed in 2017.