site.btaBulgarian Embassy in Skopje Marks Bulgaria's National Day with Reception

The Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje celebrated Bulgaria's National Day on Monday with a reception that brought together representatives of North Macedonia's government, representatives of the diplomatic corps in the country, military attaches, mayors from various cities in North Macedonia, business organizations and representatives of the business community, the Bulgarian community and others.

The event was attended by North Macedonia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Ecology Izet Mexhiti, Minister of Health Arben Taravari, Minister in charge of integration and implementation of the Roma Decade, Shaban Saliu, General Staff Chief Major General Sasko Lafciski and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Zoran Dimitrovski.

In his speech, Buglarian Ambassador to North Macedonia Zhelyazko Radukov described the past year as complicated both geopolitically and domestically, pointing out that Bulgaria is developing successfully amid a prolonged crisis. 

“We have solidified our third place among the economies of the Balkan Peninsula, right after our wonderful friends from Romania and Greece. We have fully entered the Schengen area, our gross government debt as a percentage of GDP remains the lowest in Europe, we have managed to bring inflation down to 2.5% on an annual basis, and all of this allows us to work dedicatedly towards our next big goal—membership in the Eurozone. There are two factors that have given us this opportunity - the impressive ability of the Bulgarian people to adapt to all challenges, to seek and find compromises, and to purposefully and consistently pursue goals that at first glance seem distant and difficult. The second factor is a result of the first, and that is our membership in the European Union. However, we do not see this membership simply as access to a common market or to cohesion funds, whose influence on our economy is gradually diminishing. We see this membership as the readiness of the Bulgarian State and Bulgarian institutions to firmly adhere to the rules set by the EU for all of us. That is, to be a predictable and reliable partner - not only for the other Member States but also for our own citizens. In this way, we create the conditions in which economic and social growth is possible amidst prolonged political drama,” said Radukov.

According to him, adherence to common European rules and values is increasingly important in such a rapidly changing security environment, and this is the key to European unity “in all aspects of the EU's relations with the world around us, including for achieving lasting, just, and guaranteed peace in Ukraine.”

“This is the point in every ambassador’s speech where I should draw attention to the ever-improving development of our bilateral relations with the host country. Given the temporary nature of our relations, this is a bit difficult at the moment. As I was preparing this speech, I searched for at least some way to make a joke about it. I noticed, for example, that the active, heated communication of both countries' citizens on social media made them realize that, in the end, they can communicate without translation. And surely someone will say that jokes cannot be made on such a serious topic, but allow me to remind you that our ability to joke about ourselves is directly linked to our ability to be self-critical, and only after we honestly and critically examine our own actions can we enter into sincere and constructive conversations with a partner. I believe that we have the capacity to joke, including with ourselves, and that is why I believe we have the capacity to build better relations, and consequently, the work of my successor will be much easier,” said Radukov, who noted that the way companies from both countries operate is an example "of the benefits of significant cooperation and conscientious work."

Te Embassy and the Bulgarian Cultural and Information Center in Skopje also organized a concert.