Skopje, 28 January 2023 (MIA) – The Bulgarian Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs has unanimously adopted a declaration which should be put for a vote in a plenary session, and which condemns “acts of violence against Bulgarians, their clubs and organizations”. The declaration also condemns the violence against Hristijan Pendikovski.  

The document, which was published by BGNES, condemns “false and manipulative statements about the Bulgarian past in the public and political space of the Republic of North Macedonia”, accepting them as purposeful instillation of hatred against Bulgarians and Bulgaria.  

The declaration which contains nine items condemns hate speech in North Macedonia against local Bulgarians and the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as its manifestations in the political, public and media environment. The document calls on the authorities and institutions in North Macedonia to take comprehensive, immediate and effective measures to combat hate speech and hate crimes in all forms and manifestations against Bulgarian citizens and citizens with a Bulgarian identity.  

“The protection of the rights of Bulgarian citizens and citizens with Bulgarian self-awareness in the Republic of North Macedonia must also be guaranteed through the full use of the instruments laid down in the negotiating framework approved by the European Union and by the decision of the 47th National Assembly of June 25, 2022,” reads the declaration among other.  

The document expresses concern that the “escalating anti-Bulgarian campaign in North Macedonia may jeopardize the process of including Bulgarians in the country’s Constitution, the development of democratic processes and institutions in North Macedonia and its path to EU membership” which, the document notes, serves the interests of third countries.