Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry: Celebrations to commemorate Gotse Delchev’s birth date did not contribute to upgrading bilateral relations between Sofia and Skopje

In the post-1991 period, the Republic of Bulgaria has consistently demonstrated a sincere desire to develop good neighbourly relations with the Republic of North Macedonia. Following the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation in 2017, a practice of joint commemoration of historical figures from our shared history was established, such as Georgi (Gotse) Nikolov Delchev. Unfortunately, the commemoration of the 151st anniversary of his birth did not contribute to building bilateral relations between Sofia and Skopje, a statement of Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says on February 4.

It is with deep regret that we note that 4 February 2023 will go down in history as the date on which the authorities in North Macedonia, for extremely unconvincing reasons and in violation of the assurances given beforehand, did not allow Bulgarian citizens to pay tribute to Delchev's work and life. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs defines today's attitude of the government in North Macedonia as humiliating and unacceptable towards the Bulgarian people and the Republic of Bulgaria.

We assess such actions as a failure to fulfill the commitment to ensure unimpeded access to all well-meaning citizens who wish to pay tribute to the memory of the great revolutionary. This, together with the unwillingness of the Bulgarian and North Macedonian delegations to lay wreaths together, represents a retreat from established good practices and erodes the efforts of the Republic of Bulgaria aimed at strengthening good neighbourliness.

Today, the actions of the authorities in North Macedonia have seriously damaged the process of restoring trust, despite the efforts of Prime Minister Galab Donev, who in a complicated situation initiated a process of de-escalation, and of Deputy Prime Minister for Public Order and Security and Minister of the Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev, who visited Skopje for this very purpose on 30 January this year, as well as his visit today.

The information available to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so far is that at the border crossing points on the Macedonian side, Bulgarian citizens were not allowed for hours to enter the territory of North Macedonia due to technical arguments. Consequently, some of the Bulgarian citizens have been officially refused entry into the territory of our neighbouring country, while others have returned because of the long waiting times.

Among those affected by these restrictive measures, there are also journalists who have been targeted on the grounds of 'threat to public order, national security, public health or the international relations of the Republic of North Macedonia'. There are reports about violence by the border authorities of North Macedonia. At the same time, in Skopje, an extremely surprising but unsuccessful attempt was made to limit the size of the Bulgarian official delegation during the commemoration in the Church of St. Spas in Skopje.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs held a conversation with the Ambassador of North Macedonia in Sofia, Agneza Rusi, demanding intervention and restoration of freedom of movement. The same issue was repeatedly raised in Skopje by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev. Once again, we found that the statements and assurances we received from representatives of the authorities in North Macedonia did not correspond to the situation on the ground. This approach is in no way conducive to a constructive and good-faith dialogue.

In connection with the publications in the media about the detained Bulgarian citizens, the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Skopje has officially contacted the local authorities with a request for additional information, although such information should have been sent immediately by the authorities of North Macedonia. These citizens are expected to be tried in a fast-track procedure. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs appeals to the Bulgarian citizens concerned, who have been refused written permission to enter the territory of North Macedonia, to provide this information to the Ministry in order to take the necessary action through diplomatic channels and inform our international partners.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds that the free movement of people is one of the fundamental principles of the functioning of the EU. Moreover, this is a concrete measure to strengthen good neighbourly relations. If necessary, Bulgaria is also ready to provide technical assistance to ensure the smooth functioning of the border crossings.

At least two sincere partners are needed to consolidate good neighbourly relations. In the behaviour of the authorities in Skopje, it is increasingly difficult to recognise a real desire to build the trust, friendship and cooperation necessary for this.

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