This is stated in a position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sent to BGNES in connection with the attack on Macedonian Bulgarian publicist Vladimir Perev.
“We categorically condemn yet another act of hate-motivated violence against a Bulgarian in the Republic of North Macedonia – a phenomenon unfortunately fueled by the current socio-political climate and anti-Bulgarian rhetoric.”
This is stated in a position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sent to BGNES in connection with the attack on Macedonian Bulgarian publicist Vladimir Perev. The ministry clarified that, together with the Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje, they are in constant contact with Vladimir Perev, one of the most respected representatives of the Bulgarian community in the Republic of North Macedonia.
“From the moment of the attack, our diplomatic mission has been providing him with the necessary assistance. Minister Georg Georgiev spoke with him personally by phone and emphasized that Bulgaria will continue to stand by him in this difficult moment. We categorically condemn yet another act of hate-driven violence against a Bulgarian in the Republic of North Macedonia – a phenomenon unfortunately fueled by the current socio-political climate and anti-Bulgarian rhetoric,” the MFA further stated.
“We are carefully noting the questions raised by Mr. Perev in his article in Tribuna, and we share his view that the case is not only a reason to reflect on the rights of Bulgarians in the country, but also an important test of the reaction of law-enforcement authorities and their approach to hate crimes. We expect the competent authorities in the Republic of North Macedonia to take timely and effective actions to investigate and deliver justice. We remind that the country’s European path requires full and good-faith implementation of the 2022 European Compromise, including respect for shared values and guaranteeing the rights of Macedonian Bulgarians,” the Bulgarian MFA added.
The BGNES reporter in Skopje recalls that the 80-year-old Perev was physically attacked in a store in Skopje. He was struck several times in the face, and his glasses were broken. Perev himself filed a report with the police, and the incident has been registered by law-enforcement authorities. “This is a Serbophile policy, the kind that exists in Macedonia. It is a policy of Greater-Serbian nationalism, not to say fascism, directed solely at Bulgarians in Macedonia. The Serbs are far more tolerant toward the Turks and the Vlachs, even toward the Albanians, because only the Bulgarians have refused to accept that this is originally Serbian land,” Perev told BGNES, adding: “The struggle for the rights of Bulgarians in Macedonia is just beginning.”
This is the latest incident involving a Macedonian Bulgarian in North Macedonia, where the authorities conduct crude anti-Bulgarian propaganda, including by official representatives and media under their control, as well as fake social-media profiles. | BGNES