„We have the feeling that we live in a country that crushes, persecutes and judges Bulgarians and in no way wants to become part of the European Union.“
This was stated in the program „This Sunday“ the chairman of the Bulgarian cultural club „Ivan Mihaylov“ in Bitola, Ljubcho Georgievski. According to him, however, young people in North Macedonia want a European future for their country.
„Everyone wants the borders to open, to go to Europe, to work. But the media, led by Viktor Orban, are doing everything possible to prevent this from happening“, he pointed out.
According to him, North Macedonia is not taking any steps towards the European Union.
“The country is not complying with the Good Neighborhood Agreement, it is not complying with the French proposal. With the current government of North Macedonia, the country cannot become part of the European Union at all“, added Ljubco Georgievski.
He said that in his opinion, the Macedonian voice is heard only through lobbying.
“They are investing millions to prove something that is not the case. But the truth will prevail. In the end, we saw that all MEPs united around the cause of “Macedonia“ and did everything they could. Orban's MEPs voted for this shameful report on the Republic of North Macedonia. We will see what will happen in the plenary hall“, Georgievski also said.
The chairman of the Bulgarian cultural club in Bitola has been convicted of hate speech in North Macedonia.
“I am on probation for two years. For two years I must not speak publicly, I must not quote historical figures. Prison does not scare me. Our ancestors gave their lives, they spent 20 years in prison and did not surrender. At the moment, the authorities in North Macedonia are most likely watching me. I am not afraid. I accept the sentence with honor, pride and dignity. For me, it is like a diploma. They put me in the shadow of our ancestors-giants“, said Ljubcho Georgievski.
In his words – a year ago he was fired from his job because “I did not keep quiet“. Now he is unemployed. Only his wife works.
"The Bulgarian club exists and will continue to exist. We are in a dispute with North Macedonia about its name, but that is at other levels. We will seek our justice in the human rights court in Strasbourg. There are active people in the club. It works every day, people come every day", he added.
"A club like this in North Macedonia should deal with basic human rights and the fight for them, because we Bulgarians in North Macedonia do not have basic human rights. We organize cultural events, book presentations, societies from Bulgaria come with whom we cooperate. Some time ago, we jointly published the book "Macedonian Bloody Wedding", a phototype edition, with the association "Zora" from Kyustendil and with the association "Interaction" from Ohrid. After the presentation of this book, I was summoned to the prosecutor's office on May 15 for the new court case for the spread of racism“, said the chairman of the Bulgarian cultural club.
“Macedonia's path is through human rights. The path to Europe will open for North Macedonia when it recognizes the rights of Macedonian Bulgarians. Then the membership negotiations will begin“, believes Ljubcho Georgievski.