The change in the political situation in Hungary will not lead to a significant change in North Macedonia's attitude towards Bulgaria and the Bulgarians. He stated this on the air of “Offensive” on Nova News Viktor Stoyanov from the “Macedonia” Foundation.
According to him, we should not expect drastic changes after the elections and although a certain decline in media hate speech is possible, it will be more a result of weakening funding than a real change in policy.
“I expect the new government in Budapest after the victory of Petar Magyar to behave as a European state and a loyal partner in the EU, including through the development of strategic projects such as Corridor No. 10. At the same time, the countries of the Western Balkans, including North Macedonia and Serbia, do not show real readiness for reforms and European integration, Stoyanov believes.
Regarding the domestic political situation in Skopje, he predicts that Prime Minister Hristijan Mickovski will “harden his positions and seek populism“ instead of taking pro-European actions.
According to local media, the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party is acting as a “Trojan horse“, which Stoyanov believes will hinder European integration and maintain tension with neighboring countries, including Bulgaria.
Stoyanov noted that the interests of Russia and Bulgaria in the region “collide at every level”, with Moscow using “historical nonsense“ and propaganda to strengthen its positions. At the same time, according to him, Bulgarians in North Macedonia remain victims of pressure. According to Stoyanov, the lack of an active civil society is a key factor in the absence of serious public discontent in the country.