site.btaUPDATED Interior Ministers of Bulgaria, North Macedonia Discuss Measures for Peaceful Marking of Gotse Delchev Birth Anniversary

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia will take measures to ensure the peaceful marking of the 151th birth anniversary of revolutionary Gotse Delchev in Skopje on February 4 and to not allow any incident, Internal Affairs Minister Oliver Spasovsi said after a working meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Ivan Demerdzhiev here on Monday. At their joint news briefing, Demerdzhiev called the meeting useful, specifying that they discussed all matters related to security on February 4.

Demerdzhiev made a commitment that the people to come from Bulgaria for the anniversary will not participate in legal violations or provocations, because the end goal is to mark the birth anniversary of a notable historical figure, and not to turn the day into a venue for various radical and pseudo-national acts. 

In Spasovski's words, the end goal is to guarantee the security of all citizens on the country's territory and its guests. He noted the excellent cooperation between the two ministries, which he described as equally important for both ministries, the citizens, and the entire region.

Demerdzhiev also said that during the meeting he had been assured that the assault of the King Boris III Bulgarian Cultural Club Secretary Hristian Pendikov in Ohrid on January 19 will be investigated objectively and thoroughly, and the goal is to prevent such incidents from happening in the future as they ruin the relations between Bulgaria and North Macedonia and should not be allowed in a country striving to apply the rule of law.

Demerdzhiev said that he had handed over documents concerning threats Pendikov had received while in hospital, and was assured that these would be checked and investigated and all perpetrators, taken to court. "The future of the two countries is surely linked to Europe, but it is important to know that hate speech is not the path to Europe. The European countries share values, and that is our path to stability and security not only in the region but also in the whole of Europe," the Bulgarian Interior Minister said.