Sofia, 27 September 2022 (MIA) – The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement Tuesday condemning “the public desecration of the Bulgarian anthem during the football match between the national teams of Bulgaria and North Macedonia in Skopje.” “Hate speech against Bulgaria and Bulgarians from the crowd at the national stadium in Skopje constitutes an unequivocal rejection of the principal values of modern democratic societies and runs counter to European principles and norms of conduct,” reads the statement from the Bulgarian MFA. The Bulgarian Ministry further adds that it “notes the reaction by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia condemning the hate speech during the football match,” but at the same time, it calls on the officials in Skopje to take decisive steps in order “to uproot the anti-Bulgarian aggression in the public domain in the country.” “We recall that the 2017 Agreement and the bilateral protocols signed in 2019 and 2022, commit both countries to taking effective measures against hate speech. Maintaining the progress made in recent months as part of the political dialogue requires these events become a thing of the past. Only in that spirit can the two countries turn a new page in their relations, based on mutual respect and good neighborliness,” said the Bulgarian MFA. ad/ik/