Bulgaria Recalls Ambassador To North Macedonia For Consultations - Foreign Ministry

Bulgaria has recalled its ambassador to North Macedonia for consultations amid growing number of hate crimes against Bulgarians there, the Foreign Ministry of Bulgaria said on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2023) Bulgaria has recalled its ambassador to North Macedonia for consultations amid growing number of hate crimes against Bulgarians there, the Foreign Ministry of Bulgaria said on Monday.

"The goal of consultations is to discuss possible measures to prevent a dangerous trend of an increasing pressure on North Macedonian citizens with Bulgarian identity as well as prospects of further development of bilateral relations," the statement read.

The foreign ministry noted that there had been several hostile incidents in North Macedonia, including the arson of a Bulgarian cultural center in the city of Bitola, an aggressive information campaign against Bulgaria in social media and the adoption of the "discriminatory law on funds and associations.

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Over the past several months, the bilateral relations between Bulgaria and North Macedonia have been complicated, with the two countries arguing over languages spoken there and common history. The distinctiveness of the Macedonian language has been disputed in Bulgaria where it is considered a dialect of Bulgarian.

Complications between the two nations have long been affecting their political cooperation. Since 2020, Sofia had been vetoing the official start of negotiations on Skopje's accession to the European Union and lifted its veto only in June 2022.