President Iliana Iotova: Iva Mihaylova Should Be Given Access to the Treatment She Needs

President Iliana Iotova spoke to reporters in Strasbourg on September 16. The Bulgarian head of state is in the French city for meetings at the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.

“We will do everything possible to ensure that Iva Mihaylova receives treatment,” President Iliana Iotova said. She told the Secretary General of the Council of Europe about all the steps taken by the Bulgarian state to ensure that Iva Mihaylova receives the necessary treatment in Bulgaria, which cannot be provided in the Republic of North Macedonia. A letter concerning Mihaylova has already been sent to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.

Bulgarian National Television was the first to raise the issue of the girl from North Macedonia who was seriously injured in a car accident on the road to Štip in early October of last year.

“The steps taken by the Foreign Ministry, including notifying the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, and my letter to President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, which was sent around two months ago – I have received no response. Bulgaria’s proposal to send a team of Bulgarian specialists to Skopje so they could assess the girl’s condition together with their colleagues and decide what should be done next was rejected. At the same time, we have a conclusion from their colleagues in the Republic of North Macedonia that there are no conditions for her to be treated there. This is absolutely unacceptable in the 21st century, and we will fight until the end to ensure that the girl receives treatment.”

Another important issue that Yotova discussed was the conclusion of the monitoring of our country by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The president hopes the decision to lift the monitoring will be made at one of the upcoming meetings and, in her words, “the saga will finally come to an end.” She emphasized that Bulgaria has implemented all recommendations and amended the law so that “OMO Ilinden” can be registered.

Another important issue discussed by Iotova was the completion of the monitoring of Bulgaria by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The President expressed hope that a decision to end the monitoring would be taken at one of the next meetings and that, in her words, “the saga will finally come to an end". She stressed that Bulgaria has implemented all the recommendations and amended its legislation so that the organisation UMO Ilinden can be registered.

Iliiana Iotova, President of Bulgaria: “Unfortunately, every time they fail to provide some document which, of course, means that if you do not meet the legal requirements, you cannot be registered. Unfortunately, this issue is being used extensively against Bulgaria, including attempts to insert references to it in resolutions on North Macedonia’s progress when possible disputes with Bulgaria are discussed. We reject this. First, because there is no bilateral dispute with Bulgaria. They simply are not implementing the European policy resulting from the French Proposal. But we should be aware that these ongoing issues must be resolved, because this is not good for our country’s image.”"

The idea of establishing a new security council involving Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Ukraine is among the key points that President Iliana Iotova highlighted following European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address.

“For me, the biggest news is the idea – or still a proposal – to establish a new security council together with Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway and Ukraine. This is the first time I have heard of such a model and proposal,” Iotova said.

Iotova said that she follows a principle of never commenting on domestic political issues while outside the country.

She said that a common missile defence system was not a new development, noting that several projects were already under way.

“In Bulgaria, the situation regarding finances and social policy is difficult, but as I spoke with many colleagues today, there are problems across Europe, especially now with winter approaching. There are also concerns about fuel supplies, because both the conflict in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East are placing too many restrictions.”

She called for urgent measures to address the situation.