Skopje - Sofia: "You are uncivilized" - "You are hysterical"
The confrontation on the Skopje-Sofia line is escalating, following the visit last Friday of the president of North Macedonia, Gordana Silianovska, to Sofia to attend an opera performance in the Bulgarian capital. The show was produced by the Lyric Theater of North Macedonia.
By the way, G. Silianovska had an informal meeting with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev at the presidential palace in the Bulgarian capital.
The meeting was "overshadowed" by the fact that the flag of North Macedonia was not placed during the meeting of the presidents of the two countries - there was only the flag of Bulgaria (and the EU) - which caused strong reactions from the government of North Macedonia.
He refused to accept the diploma
In fact, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia called last Tuesday the ambassador of Bulgaria in Skopje to serve him a relevant letter of protest.
However, the latter rejected Skopje's claims, stating that the meeting between the presidents of the two countries was informal, while in a move not regularly seen in diplomatic practice, he refused to receive Skopje's protest letter.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport of North Macedonia, Aleksandar Nikoloski, called the Bulgarian president "uncivilized" because the country's flag was absent in the meeting with the president of North Macedonia.
"He shows no respect"
"Things took this turn because apparently the host (s.s. Rumen Radev) is neither civilized nor decent and does not show any respect - and let them send us a letter of protest if they want (for what I say)" said the vice-president of of the government of North Macedonia, in his interview last night on a television station in Skopje.
"They do not inspire optimism"
The reaction of the Bulgarian president was immediate: "The open and constructive dialogue, even in an informal meeting, such as the one between the presidents of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia on September 13, apparently greatly disturbed some circles to the government of North Macedonia. The falsification of facts and the hysterical reactions of the government of the Republic of North Macedonia do not inspire optimism that our south-western neighbor wants relations with Bulgaria to escape the field of provocations and fabricated scandals. The "civilized" character of the new government of the Republic of North Macedonia will be judged by whether it will continue to be part of the campaign of inciting hate speech against Bulgaria or will oppose it and respect international agreements, committing to fulfill the criteria of Copenhagen for joining the EU" is stated in a relevant announcement of the presidency of Bulgaria.
"Unprovoked provocations"
Earlier today, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry announced that it had informed the country's partners "about the unprovoked provocations of the government of the Republic of North Macedonia, which aim to undermine the dialogue".
North Macedonia's troubled relations with Bulgaria have worsened in particular since the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE took power in Skopje last June. The two countries have historical, ethnic and linguistic differences that span decades.
Source: AMPE
