The return of the remains attributed to Tsar Samuil to Bulgaria has been covered by the media in North Macedonia, but has not yet provoked a public official reaction from the government or leading political parties in Skopje. No protest has been announced against Greece's decision to hand over the remains to Bulgaria.
The handover and transportation are planned for October 3. An official ceremony will take place in Sofia, after which the remains will be laid in a special sarcophagus in the church of “St. Sophia“, Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced.
Different definitions for Samuil
The media in North Macedonia do not present the news in the same language. MKD.MK defines Samuil as a “medieval Macedonian ruler“ and connects his state with Ohrid, while simultaneously reporting that Greece is handing over the remains to Bulgaria.
Plusinfo uses a more cautious formulation. The publication speaks of “Tsar Samuil“, but specifies that these are remains attributed to him. The publications recall that they were discovered during excavations of the “St. Achilles“ basilica on an island in the Small Prespa Lake.
There is also a discrepancy in the stated year of discovery. Different publications mention 1965 and 1969 as the beginning or moment of the archaeological finds associated with Samuil's grave. It is undeniable that the remains have been stored in Thessaloniki for decades, while Sofia and Athens discuss their return.
The Commission has agreed on a common wording
The dispute over Samuil's historical legacy also remains visible in the way the Macedonian media describe the ruler. At the same time, there is an agreed text of the Joint Bulgarian-Macedonian Commission on Historical and Educational Issues.
It states that Samuil was the ruler of a large medieval state, which “the main part of modern historical science defines as the Bulgarian Kingdom“, with its center on the territory of present-day North Macedonia. The text is part of the work of the bilateral commission, and not a unilateral political declaration by Sofia.
The publication of the agreed texts in 2022 has caused criticism in North Macedonia. The opposition described them as a failure, while representatives of the expert community stated that the formulations do not affect the identity of the modern Macedonian state.
No official protest from Skopje
So far, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova and the government of North Macedonia have not announced a specific position on the return of the remains. There has been no reported reaction from the leading political parties.
This is happening against the backdrop of ongoing disputes between Sofia and Skopje on historical issues. In June, Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski said that the commission with Bulgaria should work on the basis of “facts, evidence and arguments“, criticizing political pressure on the topic. The European Parliament also called for “clear and tangible results“ of her work.
So far, however, the media coverage and the various historical definitions have not developed into an official political campaign against Greece's decision. After the ceremony on October 3, new reactions may follow, but at the moment they are not a fact.
Sources: BNT, MKD.MK, Plusinfo