Sofia, 20 January 2023 (MIA) – Bulgarian President Rumen Radev in regard to the assault on Hristijan Pendikov, secretary of the Bulgarian club “Tsar Boris III” in Ohrid, stated that “he strongly condemns the systematic violations of the rights of Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia and the incitement of hatred against them, which “has resulted in the assault of Bulgarian Hristijan Pendikov in Ohrid.”

“The ambitions for accession to the European Union declared by the Republic of North Macedonia and the commitments assumed to carry out reforms and assert democratic standards in the country are at odds with the reality in which the Bulgarians live in our southwestern neighbor,” Radev wrote on Facebook.

He also said that Bulgaria is ready to organize Hristian Pendikov’s airlift and to ensure his medical treatment and that he will raise again the issue of the observance of the rights of Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia with the heads of state and government in the European Union, as well as with the European institutions and the Council of Europe.

“The systematic violations of their rights basically prompted Bulgaria’s position that North Macedonia’s European integration should be contingent on tangible progress in the eradication of hate speech against Bulgaria and Bulgarians and respecting the rights of Macedonian Bulgarians,” Radev posted on Facebook.