site.btaBulgarian Foreign Minister Offers Condolences, Assistance to North Macedonia Counterpart

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev spoke by phone with his counterpart from North Macedonia Timco Mucunski on Sunday morning, his Ministry said. Georgiev offered the sincere condolences of the Bulgarian Government and people to the families and relatives of those who died in a nightclub tragedy in North Macedonia in the early hours of the day.

At least 50 people have died in a nightclub fire in North Macedonia, the Media Information Agency (MIA) reported, citing the country's Interior Ministry. The blaze broke out in the early hours of Sunday in Kocani, a town around 100 km east of the capital, Skopje. Some 1,500 people were said to have been attending a concert. According to local media reports, the fire may have been caused by the use of pyrotechnic devices, MIA added.

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry expresses its deep sympathy to the brotherly people of the Republic of North Macedonia in connection with the tragic incident in the town of Kocani, in which dozens of people were killed and many others injured. Georgiev expressed hope for a speedy recovery of the injured and underlined Bulgaria's readiness to provide assistance and help for the treatment of the wounded on its territory.

Mucunsku briefed his counterpart on the measures taken so far by the authorities in North Macedonia to deal with the consequences of the incident.

In this difficult moment for the Republic of North Macedonia, the Bulgarian side underlines the importance of solidarity and good-neighbourly relations between the two countries in challenging times and remains ready to provide additional assistance if needed, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry added.