Macedonian Media: Ministry of Interior of the Republic of North Macedonia Has No Record of Iva Mihaylova Crossing the Border

Media outlets in the Republic of North Macedonia report that, according to the country’s Ministry of Interior, there is no record in the border control system of Iva Mihaylova having left Bulgaria’s south-western neighbour. They quote a statement from the Ministry of Interior in Skopje: “Following a check of the border control system, the Ministry of Interior informs the public that no departure from North Macedonia by Mihaylova has been registered.”

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The online publication Infomax quotes Iva Mihaylova’s lawyer in North Macedonia, Naser Raufi, as saying he was surprised by the news that she had crossed the border. According to him, there was no court authorisation for her to leave the country. Raufi also says he had been preparing to submit a new request for her to receive medical treatment outside North Macedonia after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Skopje announced that doctors from Bulgaria could examine her in view of her health condition.

“I was surprised too. I was informed this morning that she had crossed the border. There is no court authorisation. We were just about to submit a new request, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had announced that doctors from Bulgaria would arrive to examine her,” Raufi said.

He added that the court proceedings should continue even in Mihaylova’s absence. At the next hearing, a road safety expert proposed by the defence is due to give evidence to support the argument that she had no need to drive in the oncoming lane and did not enter it.

Raufi believes Mihaylova decided to leave after consulting her Bulgarian lawyer.

In its statement, North Macedonia’s Ministry of Interior says that an active court order prohibiting Iva Mihaylova from leaving the country is in force. The ministry also notes that checks were carried out by Bulgarian border police through the Joint Contact Centre with the Republic of Bulgaria. The information received indicated that there was no record of the person in question having lawfully entered Bulgarian territory.

According to the border records, the person last entered Bulgaria in September 2025. In October 2025, her departure from Bulgaria and subsequent entry into North Macedonia were registered.

Read the full statement by North Macedonia’s Ministry of Interior HERE.