The Head of State holds a meeting with Ljupcho Georgievski, chairman of the Bulgarian Cultural Centre "Ivan Mihaylov" in Bitola, which was abolished by the authorities in the Republic of Macedonia

It is absolutely unacceptable for a candidate country for EU membership, which loudly advertises that it has long since met all the criteria for membership, to carry out legal prosecutions on ethnic grounds. This was stated by President Rumen Radev at a meeting with Ljupcho Georgievski, chairman of the Bulgarian cultural centre "Ivan Mihaylov" in Bitola, which was abolished by the authorities in the Republic of North Macedonia. A week ago, the court in the Republic of North Macedonia pronounced a verdict against Georgievski on an absurd, in the words of the head of state, charge of spreading hatred, xenophobia and discrimination, with the president adding that a new, even more absurd charge against him is being prepared. The meeting was also attended by the Bulgarian ambassador to the Republic of North Macedonia, Zhelyazko Radukov.

The head of state recalled that the presidential institution was the first in our country to host Ljupcho Georgievski and his associates during the next repressions in the RNM, when Bulgarian cultural clubs were shot at, arson was committed, and their activists were beaten. "Then this same court did not file any substantiated case against the obvious perpetrators, which is a clear indicator of the benevolent and silent attitude of the Republic of North Macedonia authorities towards anti-Bulgarian manifestations," the president pointed out.

My support for Ljupcho Georgievski remains unchanged, as the position of an institution that first raised the issue of the rights of Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia, the head of state reminded. Rumen Radev emphasized that it was the presidential institution that first raised this issue before European partners and institutions, raising the thesis of the inclusion of Bulgarians in the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia as a state-forming people as a clear and mandatory condition for starting negotiations for EU membership and upholding this position until it was included in the negotiating framework.

The President called on Bulgarian institutions to actively support Ljupcho Georgievski and the rights of Bulgarians in the RNM. Rumen Radev expressed his expectation for continuous work with partners from the EU and NATO, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and other international institutions to shed light and prevent manipulation and discrimination against Bulgarians in the RNM and against Bulgaria. The head of state also reminded of the scandalous draft report of the European Parliament on the European Commission's report on the progress of the RNM towards the EU, the adoption of which was postponed due to violations of the rules and ethics, with numerous unregulated meetings of the main rapporteur with politicians and experts from the RNM. I expect this issue not to escape the attention of Bulgarian politicians and institutions, the president also pointed out.

Ljupcho Georgievski expressed gratitude to the presidential institution for the support provided and for being the first to hear the problems of Bulgarians in the Macedonian Republic and react in defence of their rights. The presidential institution in Bulgaria feels like one of the Macedonian Bulgarians, we come here for every problem, said Georgievski and announced his intention to continue fighting for the rights of Bulgarians in the Macedonian Republic, including informing European institutions.