The acting head of the embassy of the Republic of North Macedonia in Sofia, H.E. Agneza Rusi Popovska, was summoned today to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with the arson of the two Bulgarian cars used by our embassy in Skopje.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hristo Polendakov, emphasized that our country condemns in the strongest terms this unprecedented in our bilateral relations demonstrative act of aggression, which puts at risk both the health and lives of the employees of the Bulgarian embassy and the residents of the capital of North Macedonia, who were nearby during the attack. "Bulgaria takes note of the statements of the official institutions in the neighboring country and the rapid actions of the competent authorities, which led to the arrest of the perpetrator. At the same time, we expect an effective investigation and justice in the case, which will demonstrate in a categorical manner that such acts are unacceptable," he insisted.
Polendakov also emphasized that the implementation of the principles of the rule of law and the taking of effective actions to prevent and counteract hate crimes are key if a country wants to protect its European future. "Any attempts to instill fear among Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia are unacceptable and the Bulgarian state will continue to use all established mechanisms to oppose them," he concluded.
On Monday, a 44-year-old man was detained. He doused a company car with flammable liquid and set it on fire. The flames quickly engulfed the vehicle, and subsequently the fire spread to a second car parked nearby.