site.btaNorth Macedonia's Interior Ministry Sends Report to Prosecution against Art Studio that took Children to Meetings with Bulgarian Politicians

The Ministry of Internal Affairs in North Macedonia has sent a report to the Bitola prosecutor's office against the management of Small Monmartre of Bitola, said the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, Oliver Spasovski,  in Bitola during his open cabinet initiative, writes the website of Nezavisen Vesnik.

The repot is regarding an art studio, which "has taken children to Bulgaria several times, including to meetings with Bulgarian politicians, including President Rumen Radev".

Spasovski specified that he knew about the case from the media, and the police informed the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office Bitola about the information at their disposal.

"We are waiting to see if the prosecutor's office will issue an order to collect the relevant documentation," said Spasovski, quoted by the publication.

The Internal Affairs Minister noted that "there are no complaints from parents of children, members of the studio, who traveled to Bulgaria and were photographed at meetings with Bulgarian politicians". No complaint was filed by any organization, including Mission Megjashi First Children's Embassy in the World, an organization that represents and protects the rights of children.  Mission Megjashi had reportedly sent a letter to Nezavisen Vesnik earlier on Thursday, in which it expressed concern "given the relations with Bulgaria and Greece, about bringing children to meetings with politicians in these countries, especially if it is not clear what the purpose of these meetings is".

"I am appealing, not only for this case, that criminal charges be brought and testimony taken so that the institutions can take action," said Spasovski, after the prosecution has been notified, proceedings have already been initiated.

Earlier on Thursday, under the title "Bitola Montmartre Abuses Children for Political Purposes", the same edition wrote that the Mission Megjashi First Children's Embassy in the World expressed a position "that the children, members of Small Monmartre of Bitola were used as a tool for political purposes under the pretext of "developing good neighbourly relations" and called on the prosecution "to act because of violations of the law".

This reaction also comes as a result of a publication by Nezavisen Vesnik under the title "How Small Monmartre of Bitola  Crossed the Line between Art and Politics", which stated that children, members of the St. St. Cyril and Methodius Art Studio in Bitola, were taken to Bulgaria for meetings with Bulgarian politicians, after which the children were photographed with them, and the photos were published in the media in Bulgaria and North Macedonia without the organizers having permission from the parents.

"Analyzing the text "How Small Monmartre of Bitola  Crossed the Line between Art and Politics", Mission Megjashi believes that it is "extremely inappropriate or strange as a move, in the current political context of the Republic of North Macedonia's relations with Bulgaria and Greece, to take children to meetings with politicians in these countries.

At the beginning of July, 30 young artists from the Republic of North Macedonia and Bulgaria painted a picture measuring 5 by 6 metres, depicting the dream unity between North Macedonia and Bulgaria in front of the National Theatre in Sofia. This is the third consecutive meeting of young artists from the two countries within the framework of a campaign, titled "On Both Sides of the Border", by Dr. Milen Vrabevski and the Bulgarian Memory Foundation. President Rumen Radev received the artists from Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, who participated in the initiative for good neighborliness and friendly relations between the two countries.