site.btaParliamentary Committee Brings Together Bulgarian Associations from North Macedonia in Sofia

The parliamentary Committee on Policies for Bulgarians Abroad convened a meeting in Sofia on Thursday with representatives of around 20 associations of Bulgarians from the Republic of North Macedonia, along with activists and journalists. Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Skopje, Zhelyazko Radukov, and the Executive Director of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, Rayna Mandzhukova, also took part.

Committee Chair Stoyan Taslakov told reporters that the aim of the meeting was to signal to Bulgarian communities in North Macedonia that they have not been forgotten. He said participants were invited to share the challenges they face.

According to Taslakov, some organizations rely on funding through cultural and Foreign Ministry programs, while others look to Bulgaria for protection because they are subjected to repression and attacks. “You heard here today – there are beaten people, their children have been beaten, there are arrests, broken bones, shots fired at offices. All of this is the result of targeted hatred instilled by the authorities in North Macedonia for decades,” he said.

Among the attendees was journalist Vladimir Perev, a prominent figure in the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia, who was recently assaulted in Skopje. Earlier in the day, Parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee unanimously adopted a declaration condemning the hate-motivated attack against him.