He stressed that Bulgaria is not fully aware of the risks involved.
Bulgaria is underestimating the risks posed by Serbia’s rapid rearmament with Chinese offensive weapons, as well as the subtle promotion of a non-existent “Serbo-Shopi minority,” Ivan Nikolov, head of the Cultural and Information Center in Bosilegrad, said in an interview with BGNES.
He outlined serious risks both for the Bulgarian community and for regional stability.
Western Outlands under Vučić
The outlook for the Bulgarian minority in Serbia’s Western Outlands remains крайне troubling, with depopulation and assimilation deepening, Nikolov said. The problem is not new, but has worsened over recent decades.
“This is an extremely serious national issue for Bulgaria that remained unresolved throughout the 20th century and became even more complicated during the breakup of Yugoslavia,” he stressed.
Living conditions for minorities in Serbia have deteriorated sharply, triggering mass migration, especially among young people.
“A large share of young people have moved to Bulgaria, complete their education here, and almost none return because there are no opportunities in the Western Outlands,” he noted.
As a result, the region is steadily emptying.
“In Bosilegrad, the remaining population is no longer able to sustain itself and continues to decline,” Nikolov said, concluding: “From this perspective, the outlook is bleak.”
“A strategy for an ethnically pure state”
He identified the lack of a genuine minority policy in Belgrade as a core issue.
“Serbia pays no real attention to national minorities. And when it does, it follows a strategy aimed at creating an ethnically pure state, where minorities are gradually eliminated,” Nikolov said.
Such a policy, he warned, carries long-term consequences not only for the Bulgarian community but also for the region’s European prospects.
Concerns over propaganda and the ‘Shopi minority’ narrative
Nikolov also pointed to growing Serbian influence in Bulgaria through information and cultural channels.
“This threat is still being underestimated in Bulgaria — a subtle form of propaganda that is steadily gaining ground,” he warned.
He said cultural tools such as music, language and even cuisine are being used as instruments of influence.
“These pro-Serbian trends are paving the way for the narrative of a so-called ‘Serbo-Shopi minority’,” he added.
He gave examples of historical reinterpretations in Serbian public discourse.
“Through the falsification of history, ethnography and ethnology, a basis is being created for such claims. In Bulgaria, they are often dismissed with irony, but they should not be underestimated,” Nikolov cautioned.
He drew a parallel with developments in North Macedonia.
“We have already seen how a separate identity was constructed from Bulgarians in Macedonia, which today is strongly anti-Bulgarian. This policy pursued by Belgrade is bearing bitter fruit, undermining relations between two closely related nations and damaging the Western Balkans’ EU prospects,” he said.
Serbia’s rearmament seen as regional risk
Nikolov also warned about the implications of Serbia’s accelerated military buildup with Chinese weapons.
“Serbian society is being conditioned to perceive imaginary threats — from Croatia, Kosovo, Bulgaria. This is an extremely dangerous strategy,” he said.
He stressed that Bulgaria is not fully aware of the risks involved.
“Serbia is under strong influence from its security services, while at the same time we see Russia’s war in Ukraine. All these factors must be carefully assessed,” Nikolov concluded. | BGNES