site.btaPosition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

On July 10, 2025, the Bulgarian Ambassador to Skopje was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Republic of North Macedonia in relation to the use of the adjective "North Macedonian" in reference to the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Mr. Hristijan Mickoski. On the same day, the Prime Minister of the neighbouring country made extremely unacceptable public remarks directed at the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs. In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria states the following:

The Bulgarian Ambassador in Skopje expressed his surprise at the grounds for his summoning, especially in light of a series of unfriendly messages and actions from representatives of the authorities in Skopje over the past months. The Bulgarian diplomat explicitly emphasized that the official authorities of the Republic of North Macedonia have systematically and deliberately displayed a lack of respect towards our country in the public domain.

During the meeting, the Bulgarian Ambassador also conveyed Bulgaria’s serious concern regarding a number of harsh, manipulative, and often offensive statements made by high-ranking representatives of the government in the Republic of North Macedonia, targeting both our country and the European Union. It is particularly unacceptable for a country that continuously provides genuine and selfless assistance—such as the current support of Bulgarian firefighters in Kriva Palanka in response to the wildfires there—to be labelled a "hostile state."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria strongly condemns the unacceptable and offensive language used by Mr. Hristijan Mickoski in reference to an official Bulgarian representative—in this case, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria. Such statements are incompatible with the basic norms of diplomatic and political dialogue, as well as with the principles of good neighbourly relations that the Republic of North Macedonia publicly claims to uphold, yet in practice continues to violate.

The repeated use of vulgar and derogatory terms aimed at representatives of the Bulgarian state not only undermines the already fragile trust between our two countries but also calls into question the genuine commitment of the political leadership in Skopje to the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation of 2017, as well as to its declared aspiration for accession to the European Union—a process that requires mutual respect, responsibility, and political maturity.

Bulgaria will not tolerate hate speech, personal attacks, or deliberate attempts to undermine bilateral relations. Such statements by the official authorities of the Republic of North Macedonia foster a hostile climate and do not demonstrate the political will necessary to return to a normal, respectful, and constructive dialogue.