The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry is following with concern the developments in North Macedonia related to the right of association of Bulgarians in the country and in particular the latest developments around the name of the civil association "Ivan Mihailov" from Bitola, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the decisions that are being prepared have a significant bearing on the democratic processes in North Macedonia. It reminds that the two governments have established a joint multidisciplinary expert commission on historical and educational issues to objectively interpret the historical events of the common history between Bulgaria and North Macedonia.
Systematic blockages in its work have so far prevented the elaboration of a common assessment of the role of the historical figures of this period. The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry hopes that the competent institutions in North Macedonia will not use unilateral and tendentious interpretations of historical events and personalities as a basis for restricting fundamental rights, including the right to association.
North Macedonia's Justice Minister Krenar Lloga has opposed the use of Ivan Mihailov's name in the titles of associations, North Macedonia's 360 Degrees reported. The explanation is that naming any citizens' association after Ivan (Vancho) Mihailov is an insult and provocation to the national feelings of the Macedonian people, given his public and constant denial of Macedonian identity, language and culture.
/LG/
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