Serbia holds Macedonia in the palm of its hand

Serbia holds Macedonia in the palm of its hand

With the VLEN practically powerless in the ruling coalition with VMRO-DPMNE, Serbia has become almost a political and cultural hegemon in North Macedonia. Although the European Parliament criticized Mickoski’s government last year for its closeness to the ‘Serbian world’ project, Serbia’s presence continues to be unwavering. If last year Milorad Dodik was given space in Skopje, this year Serbian publishing houses will dominate the Book Fair. Beyond that, according to various surveys, Macedonians continue to be strongly attached to Serbia, considering this country as North Macedonia’s main friend.

April 21, 2026 – On Thursday, the 38th edition of the Skopje Book Fair kicks off as the literary uprising in North Macedonia.

Stretching between April 23 and 29, the fair’s program also includes events, promotions, and meetings that bring together publishers, authors, and readers.

But, publishers from Serbia this year seem to have the main share at the fair with a total of 35 publishing houses.

This is understood from the fact that, according to agenda According to the organizers, participation has already been reserved for a total of 65 publishing houses.

According to the director of the Skopje Book Fair, Daniela Gligorovska, these publishing houses will be under the umbrella of the Serbian Ministry of Culture.

“The Serbian Ministry of Culture was also present at last year’s fair. Calls are usually submitted through embassies, so last year and this year the Serbian Ministry of Culture was present,” he said. SAYING Gligorovska for an Albanian media outlet in Skopje.

Under the feet of the Serbian world

This cultural presence of Serbia at this year’s Book Fair seems like just a footnote in a much broader narrative.

For years, Serbia has been sitting ‘cross-legged’ with presence its diverse role in the life of the neighboring state.

When VMRO-DPMNE returned to power in 2024, it also included the Serbian Democratic Party in Macedonia in its coalition.

Her head, Ivan Stoilkovic, appointed him to the important position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Inter-Community Relations.

Every year on January 27, on the occasion of MARKING On the so-called Saint Sava Day, an event bordering on scandal took place at the National Theater of Macedonia.

Among those invited to Skopje was the most controversial Serbian politician in the region, Milorad Dodik.

Known for his deeply anti-Western stances, the leader of Republika Srpska voiced pro-Russian calls.

Read also: VMRO-DPMNE’s Macedonia makes Dodik an honorary guest

Brussels: “Mickoski is questioning the stability of neighboring countries”

This whole opening of North Macedonia towards Serbia was also viewed with concern in Brussels.

Thus, resolutions, prepared by Austrian MEP Thomas Weitz, last year leveled extremely serious criticisms at Mickoski’s government.

One of the main concerns that emerged in the report was that of ‘the Serbian world‘, which has been said to be questioning the sovereignty and stability of neighboring states.

Point 80 expressed “concern about the project of the so-called ‘Serbian world’ and that some representatives in the Government of North Macedonia have advocated and promoted this concept.”

On this occasion, the European Parliament condemned the participation of government officials in Skopje in meetings aimed at establishing spheres of influence that affect the sovereignty of other states and the stability of the region.

Read also: European Parliament Report: ‘Serbian World’ is being supported in Macedonia

“Uncritical consumption of everything from Serbia”

If Russia and China are mentioned as actors behind disinformation campaigns, Serbia, on the other hand, is the country that has most benefited from land in North Macedonia.

Anti-Western propaganda in this country is almost never broadcast in Russian, and it is not even translated into Macedonian, but is distributed and consumed mainly in Serbian.

The concern has often been voiced that “Macedonians consume everything that comes from Serbia, often uncritically“.

That these influences have already captured a part of Macedonian opinion is also highlighted by recent polls.

One such made by Indago agency, which took place from October 6 to 17 last year, clearly revealed the pro-Serbian sentiment of a large part of Macedonian society.

This was noted by the fact that 45 percent of respondents identified Bulgaria as North Macedonia’s biggest enemy, followed by Greece with 15 percent and Albania with 7 percent.

The high tendencies towards Serbophilia were highlighted by the fact that a large part of the respondents (40 percent) considered Serbia to be North Macedonia’s greatest friend.

A flirtation that began in the time of Yugoslavia

According to journalist Zoran Bojarovski, the Macedonians’ love for Serbia, like their resistance to Bulgaria, can be explained by several reasons.

This relationship, according to him, is complicated and has its own ’emotional’ side.

During the nearly five decades during which Macedonians and Serbs lived under a common state, where the main ‘glue’ was brotherhood and unity, a sense of closeness and trust was created.

“The ideological matrix of that state, when it comes to Macedonia, created an environment of extreme distrust towards the rest of our neighbors, especially towards Bulgaria and Albania, and showed little consideration towards Greece,” Bojarovski assessed.

Serbia with full influence in Macedonia

The increasingly visible presence Serbia’s presence in North Macedonia, and its support for the VMRO-DPMNE-led government, has also been reflected in the Bulgarian media.

In the fall of 2024, Bulgarian news agency BGNES had announced that Vučić’s Serbia had joined a strong anti-Bulgarian campaign initiated by the government of Prime Minister Hristjan Mickoski.

The autocratic Serbian president himself was not spared from the blows at Bulgaria’s expense.

According to him, Bulgarians are irritated because Serbia is more popular in North Macedonia.

“Relations with Montenegro are somewhat better than they were before, with Hungary and North Macedonia they are the best in history, while the Bulgarians are irritated that we are more liked than they are in North Macedonia,” he said. Vučić in November 2023 for TV Pink.

Serbia had come to North Macedonia’s support when official Sofia vetoed the EU membership negotiations.

In a conversation about Bulgarian media outlet ‘Fakti’, Bulgarian analyst Vladimir Vladimirov had assessed that Bulgaria currently does not enjoy any influence in North Macedonia.

“Serbia has a great influence on the country,” he said, emphasizing that this influence is also at the social, political and economic levels.

“The winning party in North Macedonia, VMRO-DPMNE, is quite pro-Serbian and pro-Russian in its orientation,” Vladimirov said. /National