The statement of the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovačevski, in which he compared Bulgaria's attitude towards his country to Russia's attitude towards Ukraine, further fueled tensions between the two Balkan neighbors, writes Euractiv.
Their relationship, which had been strained for years, worsened when Sofia vetoed Skopje's EU membership negotiations, before yielding to EU pressure and mediation and lifting the veto, but making constitutional changes in North Macedonia a condition.
At the Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik this Sunday, Kovačevski said: "The speech that Bulgaria uses a lot towards North Macedonia is very similar to the speech of the Russian Federation about Ukraine."
This comment was not well received in Bulgaria, and Vice President Iliana Jotova took the floor after Kovačevski to raise the issue of protecting the rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia. She said that the rights of Bulgarians are "systematically violated and not recognized, and Bulgarians are exposed to harassment and restrictions."
Relations have also been further strained in recent months after Bulgarian clubs and cultural centers, some of which have names considered provocative to Macedonians, came under attack. Several Bulgarian clubs in North Macedonia were recently closed after the Bulgarian side refused to change their names, which the authorities in Skopje found offensive.
On Thursday, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned Kovachevski's statement, saying that "any analogy with the suffering of the Ukrainian people in Russia's current unjustified war is cynical and unacceptable."
"The statement of the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia once again clearly shows the true attitude of Skopje towards the main values of the EU and the rejection of the right to react to existing shortcomings," the ministry's announcement stated.
It was also emphasized that the European perspective of North Macedonia depends on strict compliance with the agreement from the so-called "French proposal", reported Euractiv.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned Kovachevski's statement, saying that "any analogy with the suffering of the Ukrainian people in Russia's current unjustified war is cynical and unacceptable."
EU mediation under the French presidency resulted in an agreement that Bulgaria's veto on the start of North Macedonia's negotiations with the EU would be lifted once ethnic Bulgarians were included in the country's constitution.
Relations continued to deteriorate when a delegation of Bulgarian politicians, including MEP Andrei Kovachev, were prevented from entering the country because they were "potential violators of public order and peace".
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said on Thursday that the leadership of North Macedonia "must convince its own citizens, not Bulgaria, to build a democratic state". He added that the authorities of North Macedonia can claim to build a modern, multi-ethnic society only when they find the strength to include "compatriots of Goca Delčev" in the constitution.
This statement was perceived as an insult in Skopje. There is a historical dispute between Sofia and Skopje over Delchev, whom Macedonians see as one of the most important figures in their history, but he is also an important figure for Bulgaria.
Kovačevski retorted that "the compatriots and heirs of Goca Delčev will include the compatriots and heirs of Radev in the constitution".
He stated that North Macedonia is not negotiating with Bulgaria but with the EU, and constitutional changes are part of the negotiation framework with the EU.
Meanwhile, the Bulgarian Socialist Party launched an initiative in parliament to condemn Skopje's attitude towards the country.
Bonus video:
