The ongoing unacceptable policies of violations of the rights of citizens with Bulgarian identity in the Republic of North Macedonia (RNM) confirm the existing objective need for a financially secured mechanism for legal protection and procedural representation in cases of politically motivated legal prosecutions, manifestations of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes on an anti-Bulgarian basis. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev in response to a question by MP Dzhipo Dzhipov from "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria". The MP's question is about funds to support the Bulgarian community abroad. The response is published on the website of the National Assembly.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is making consistent efforts to ensure legal protection for Bulgarians from the RSM, including in landmark cases such as the case of Ljubcho Georgievski. The Bulgarian state at the highest institutional level is consistent in its support for Georgievski. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been closely monitoring the development of the trial against him since its very beginning - more than two years ago, the Minister stated.
The Bulgarian side views the trial against Georgievski as a politically motivated process. For Bulgaria, it is an absolutely unacceptable approach in which repression is carried out against citizens of the RSM, who self-identify as Bulgarians and defend their identity, through the instruments of institutional and judicial pressure. This position of our country is communicated consistently, systematically and clearly to all our international partners. Bulgarian institutions remain steadfastly committed to guaranteeing the rights of Bulgarians in the RSM, including through the use of all international mechanisms in the field of human rights, Georg Georgiev points out.
In 2025, the budget has allocated 2,700,000 leva for the implementation of the Program for Support to Organizations of Bulgarian Communities from Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Ukraine and Moldova and to Citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia with Bulgarian Identity. Since the term of the previous program expired at the end of 2024, the Council of Ministers is expected to adopt a decision to approve a new program with an implementation period of 2025-2029 as soon as possible. The new program provides for a gradual annual increase in the financial resources intended to support Bulgarian communities in the countries within its scope, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister also stated.
In mid-June, the Minister and Ljubcho Georgievski met, with Georg Georgiev pointing out that the right to self-determination is a fundamental principle of the European Union and cannot be questioned.