Skopje, 25 January 2023 (MIA) – President Stevo Pendarovski’s office doesn’t comment on today’s statement by Bulgarian MEP Angel Dzhambazki, in which he tells Pendarovski how all those who have tried to ban entry of VMRO leaders ended up in the past.  

Pendarovski’s office told MIA that the President’s position was given after the Security Council’s session, and competences are now with the Government.  

“We have no further comment. President Pendarovski’s position was given after the session of the Security Council. Competences are with the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia regarding further steps,” said the President’s office.  

President Pendarovski told a press conference after Monday’s session of the Security Council that the Security Council has come up with a proposal to the Government to ban the entry of one MEP and several other people in the country.  According to the President, it is suspected that some of those people are connected to the Russian intelligence service. He said that an organized group is expected to arrive in the country on February 4 to mark the anniversary of Goce Delchev’s birth. The group will aim to disrupt security in order to destabilize the country and relations with Bulgaria.   

Bulgarian MEP Dzhambazki indirectly threatened President Pendarovski via social networks on Wednesday.  

“What is such a ban to us? Let me tell Stevo Pendarovski, called Stevo the Comintern, that in the past others have also tried to ban VMRO leaders from entering Macedonia, and the last such example was with the Yugoslav, Serbian king Aleksandar Karađorđević. If they try to ban me from entering Macedonia, let them look at history and learn from it,” Dzhambazki posted.  

This was also followed by a reaction from the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, which condemned such statements and said it would notify the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through diplomatic channels.  

“In this case, the Ministry will also recommend the President to react appropriately to his colleague, President Radev, and for this behavior, a notification and a request for distancing will also be sent to the President of the European Parliament. Threats and statements on threats are a matter that the security authorities are dealing with. We expect them to seriously consider Dzhambazki’s latest statements and make an appropriate decision on his limited access to the country,” reads the Foreign Ministry’s reaction statement.