The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria has condemned the undermining of the Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborliness by Skopje, as well as the unacceptable and offensive language used by North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski towards the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev, BGNES reported.

Today, the Bulgarian Ambassador in Skopje was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Republic of North Macedonia in connection with the use of the adjective “North Macedonian” in reference to Mickoski.

On the same day, the Prime Minister of North Macedonia publicly issued unacceptable insults directed at Bulgaria’s foreign minister. In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria makes the following statement:

The Bulgarian ambassador in Skopje expressed his surprise at the reason for his summons, especially in light of a series of unfriendly messages and actions by representatives of the authorities in Skopje over recent months. The Bulgarian diplomat explicitly emphasized that the public behavior of the official authorities of the Republic of North Macedonia has systematically and deliberately demonstrated a lack of respect toward our country.

During the meeting, the Bulgarian ambassador also expressed Bulgaria’s serious concern over a number of harsh, manipulative, and often offensive statements made by high-ranking officials in North Macedonia, targeting both our country and the European Union. It is especially unacceptable for a country that consistently provides real and selfless support — including right now, as Bulgarian firefighters assist in Kriva Palanka to combat wildfires — to be labeled a “hostile state.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria strongly condemns the inappropriate and offensive language used by Mr. Hristijan Mickoski in reference to an official Bulgarian representative — in this case, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria. Such statements are incompatible with the basic norms of diplomatic and political dialogue, as well as with the principles of good neighborliness that the Republic of North Macedonia publicly claims to uphold but in practice flagrantly violates.

The continued use of vulgar labels directed at representatives of the Bulgarian state not only undermines the already fragile trust between our two countries but also casts doubt on the genuine commitment of the political leadership in Skopje to the 2017 Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation, as well as to its declared desire to join the European Union — a process that requires mutual respect, responsibility, and political maturity.

Bulgaria will not tolerate hate speech, personal attacks, or deliberate undermining of bilateral relations. Such statements by the official authorities of the Republic of North Macedonia foster a climate of hostility and fail to demonstrate the political will to return to a normal, respectful, and constructive dialogue. | BGNES