The President of North Macedonia made sharp accusations against Bulgaria and the European Union in his annual address to parliament. According to the head of state, the condition for changing the Constitution - with the registration of Bulgarians as part of the peoples in the country - opens the “doors for the influence of third forces“ and keeps the country in a geopolitical vacuum outside the EU.
The topic was commented on bTV by journalist and analyst Lyubcho Neshkov, who defined the messages from Skopje as “aggressive and targeted anti-European propaganda“.
According to Neshkov, there is nothing new in the speech in terms of content, but there is a new level of sharpness. “The fate that the rulers in Skopje are drawing for their own country is tragic. The questions that the president is asking have clear answers in international documents“, he emphasized.
As an example, the journalist pointed to the annual US national security strategy, which explicitly states which country is destabilizing the Balkans and opening up space for Russian and Chinese influence – and this, in his words, is not Bulgaria, but Serbia. The document was adopted with the support of both Democrats and Republicans.
According to Neshkov, the anti-European rhetoric aims to cover up internal problems and dependencies. He pointed out several worrying trends:
-official Serbian celebrations on the territory of North Macedonia, including with military elements and in the presence of Macedonian representatives and the Russian ambassador;
-lack of reaction by the authorities in Skopje to public statements from Serbian circles that Macedonia is “Southern Serbia“;
-participation of formations in the ruling coalition that demonstrate open proximity to Serbian nationalism.
“All this must be covered up. And the easiest way is to point to an external enemy – Bulgaria“, commented Neshkov.
The journalist was categorical that Bulgaria did not impose a blockade on North Macedonia and did not unilaterally demand changes. “Bulgaria did not want a change of name, flag or currency. These were other countries and other processes. On the contrary - Bulgaria is the country that helped Skopje in the most difficult moments, including during the Greek embargo“, he recalled.