Bulgaria summons its ambassador to North Macedonia for consultations

Bulgaria summoned its ambassador to the Republic of North Macedonia, Angel Angelov, for consultations in Sofia, the Foreign Ministry said on January 23.

The reason for his temporary return to the country is the serious situation regarding the rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia and the escalation of hate crimes against them in recent months:

• Arson of the Cultural Club "Ivan Mihailov" - Bitola in June 2022;
• Three consecutive attacks on the building of the organisation "Tsar Boris III" - Ohrid, including a shooting with firearms on November 24, 2022, the aggressive anti-Bulgarian social media campaign in North Macedonia;
• the brutal assault of 19 January 2023 on Hristian Pendikov, secretary of the Tsar Boris III organisation in Ohrid;
• the adoption of the discriminatory Law on Foundations and Associations in North Macedonia, in November 2022.

The purpose of the consultations is to discuss the possibilities of stopping the dangerous trend of increasing pressure on the citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia with Bulgarian self-identity and the prospects for further development of bilateral relations.

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