site.btaUPDATED President Radev: In Hindsight, Bulgaria's Big Mistake Post-1989 Is That It Did not Raise Issue of Bulgarians in Macedonia

If we look at the modern history, after 1989, Bulgaria's big mistake is that it did not raise the issue of the Bulgarians in Macedonia, their situation and rights, said President Rumen Radev during the official launch of Spas Tashev's book "The struggles of the Macedonian Bulgarians for rights and independence - 68 cases from the period 1944 - 1994".

According to him, the Bulgarians there did not exist on the agenda of Bulgarian foreign policy.

"If we look at the documents, they are not in the 1999 Declaration on Good Neighbourliness and Friendship, they are not in the 2017 Treaty on Good Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation, they are not in the 2019 National Framework Position", Radev stated, adding that at the same time the pressure on Bulgaria to open the doors for the start of the negotiations was growing. "Almost every day I had calls from European leaders, from the leaders of European institutions, from statesmen overseas for us to open the doors and lift the veto as soon as possible", the President said.

He added that thanks to the articles of Spas Tashev, which are now collected in this book, important processes have started. "In that period I was also aware that our position was built on a very important foundation - history, cultural heritage, tradition and language, but there was something essential missing that would make this position meaningful and convincing", Radev said and stressed that during his meetings with the author and the latter's intentions to publish these stories helped raise the issue about the rights of the Macedonian Bulgarians.

"I thank the diplomats, thanks to whom this problem was formulated as a responsible, national position, which became a turning point in the attitude of our European partners and institutions towards the problems in the Republic of North Macedonia, it became a position that opened the door, under certain conditions, not only for the start of membership negotiations, but for building a real goodneighbourliness and friendship between our countries", the President further said, adding that two years ago the topic about the rights of the Macedonian Bulgarians topic was not even on the agenda.

The President stressed that he had started to present this position the moment he started to represent Bulgaria in the Council of the European Union from May 2021 and has done so, in his words, "steadfastly, convincingly, argumentatively, constantly". Radev added that this issue is not merely a historical dispute between neighbouring countries or some Balkan quarrel, but one that deeply affects the foundations of the European Union and its values and principles - human rights, fight against hate speech and non-discrimination. "It is this position that underpins the European decision in the French presidency", the President said. He noted that when Bulgaria started to publicly and insistently raise this issue, the Macedonian Bulgarians started to raise this issue themselves and seek support from Bulgarian institutions.

According to the head of State, the book by Dr. Spas Tashev is "a necessary, albeit belated, ray of light on the fate of the Bulgarians in Macedonia". "We can call it a chronicle of their agony or a guide to the mechanism in Bulgarian politics of the last century", Radev said. "We can also call it a triumph of truth, and we will still be correct".

He noted that as a participant in the development of the Macedonian question in recent years, he sees the book as the missing link in the argumentation of the Bulgarian national position regarding the European integration of the Republic of North Macedonia.