site.btaBiggest Fear of North Macedonia's Political Class Is to Recognize Existence of Word "Bulgarian", Says President Radev

The masks have fallen and the new government of North Macedonia has clearly shown that the the biggest fear of the political class of this country is to recognize the very existence of the word "Bulgarian", President Rumen Radev told journalists on Wednesday in response to a question about the "hostile rhetoric from Skopje in recent days". He added that this is a policy aimed directly against European principles and decisions taken by consensus by all Member States, against international commitments, "but most of all against its own citizens who have clearly stated their ambitions for the European development of the country".

On Tuesday, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry issued a statement in which it defined as unacceptable the stated intention of the Republic of North Macedonia not to adhere to its international commitments and signed agreements. The position was in connection with statements of North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, who said that if there is a desire and political will, the negotiating framework for the country’s accession to the European Union can be changed.

“It has already become very clear why in the spring of 2021, as Bulgaria's representative in the Council of the European Union, I shifted the focus of European institutions and leaders from the protection of our history, culture and language to the protection of the rights of Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia,” Radev said. “It became clear why I raised the idea of their inclusion in the country's Constitution as an important obligatory precondition for the start of membership negotiations,” he added.

"I expect immediate, correct actions from both the Bulgarian Government and the European institutions to uphold the European principles and norms in the enlargement process, to ensure irreversibility and sustainability in the consolidation of the principles of democracy and the basic criteria in respecting human rights," the head of State further commented. And if the European Union is not committed to the European perspective of the Balkans, one based on clear principles, norms and values, then sooner or later Europe will face Balkanisation,” Radev said.