site.btaNorth Macedonia's PM: Bulgaria’s Goal Is “The Destruction of the Macedonian Nation and Identity”

The Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, stated on Wednesday that Bulgaria’s goal is “the destruction of the Macedonian nation and identity.”

At an extraordinary press conference held at the headquarters of VMRO-DPMNE, he said that Bulgaria is blocking North Macedonia’s EU integration — a process that, according to him, did not start today, but “back in 1990,” when Bulgaria made a gesture by recognizing the country’s independence but not its language or nation.

“That’s why I don’t want anyone to ever tell me again that the Bulgarian minority [in the Republic of North Macedonia] is the problem. Those few hundred people who say they feel Bulgarian, are not the problem, regardless of whether they are [included] in the Constitution or not. We could include them [in the Constitution] as early as tomorrow, but the essence is much deeper — and that was made very clear by the steps our eastern neighbor has taken through the European corridors. But what will remain recorded and forever remembered is that the European report, with Macedonian identity and Macedonian language, passed through the EP Foreign Affairs Committee. And today, before this shameful amendment was adopted, it was on the desks in front of all the MEPs who voted in the European Parliament, for the first time since Macedonia’s declaration of independence,” said Mickoski, referring to the EP’s report on North Macedonia’s progress, from which the references to “Macedonian identity and language” were removed following written amendments submitted by MEPs Andrzej Halicki (EPP), Kathleen Van Brempt (S&D), and Dan Barna (Renew Europe).

Mickoski’s statement was broadcast on VMRO-DPMNE’s online channel, as well as by numerous media websites and several national television networks. In his address, the Prime Minister also spoke about the “injustices” that the country has faced “both before and after the Ilinden Uprising,” and recalled the changes to the country’s name and flag.

"Just think of everything Macedonia has done since 1990. All the concessions, changes, and humiliations it has endured. And instead of recognition and respect, instead of sympathy and a helping hand, we find ourselves facing new and more crises, with ever more demands placed upon us. When ‘the wolves’ wait for corrupt leaders to arrive, so that step by step, they give up on themselves, on their people, their tradition, their heritage,” Mickoski said.

He stressed that the country would stay on its European path, and that it would work with its friends in the EU on development and reforms, “because EU membership is not just a goal, but a necessity” for North Macedonia.

“This struggle is and will be difficult. But I am prepared to endure, and with our friends abroad, we will succeed. We are a small country with a big heart; we are the cradle of Balkan culture... We respect our neighbors and will continue to respect them, even when we catch them working against us. But without mutual respect, they will achieve nothing. That is the key mistake of our eastern neighbor in its relationship with us — once they begin to respect us, they will become our greatest friend. Until then, we will speak to them in the language of arguments,” Mickoski emphasized, vowing also that he would not allow any retreat “from Macedonian national interests.”