site.btaNorth Macedonia PM Mickoski Replies to Bulgarian VP Iotova: There Are EU Members That Do Not Respect Court of Human Rights Judgments

Bulgaria's Vice President Iliana Iotova should direct her advice on human rights to "those (EU) member states that face possible sanctions for not respecting human rights", North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said, commenting on Iotova's call on the authorities in the Republic of North Macedonia "to have deeper understanding of European values" because the EU membership negotiations will not be finished if there is at least one country that believes human rights are not respected.

Kanal5 quoted Iotova's statement at an event Bulgarians in the Balkans beyond the border after 1878: "Aggression is unforgivable, not just verbal, but also when the violence masks a persistent and deeply flawed concept and, what is  more, a failure to implement international commitments already made,". She added that she was referring to North Macedonia, "where, unfortunately, in recent years - instead of good neighborliness - this is a paradox, but it is a fact, instead of a signed treaty and its implementation, which bears the resounding words 'Good Neighborliness' in its name, we seem to be going in the opposite direction".

"There are 14 [ECtHR] judgments concerning the Macedonian community in Bulgaria," Mickoski said during a visit to Gazi Baba Municipality. "I call on the very people who are giving us advice to advise the Bulgarian authorities to give the Macedonian community the opportunity to at least organize themselves into NGOs," he added, stating that North Macedonia does not want them to be part of the constitution (of Bulgaria), but to be able to organize themselves in NGOs. "This is something they can do. As far as I know, Bulgaria has signed the resolution on human rights," said North Macedonia's PM.