The anti-fascist struggle is built into the foundations of the modern Macedonian state and in that struggle, we fought against those who were on the side of the fascists, North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski said.
“The Macedonian-Bulgarian dispute can be resolved only if the dignity of both the Macedonian and the Bulgarian people is consistently respected and by avoiding the dangerous trap of historical revisionism when it is based upon political constructions instead of facts,” Pendarovski said in an interview with Deutsche Welle in Macedonian, following the views expressed by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in Wednesday’s interview with the Bulgarian agency BGNES.
“I watched Prime Minister’s interview and read the reactions by the Macedonian public and in some of the comments, unfortunately, there was a dilemma whether the top officials act only in relation to this vital national issue. Two preconditions are necessary to resolve strategic disputes: to have the political will, which sometimes means political courage, to reach a consensus that never raises your rating, and second – to stick to internationally verified historical facts and to political a reality that is obvious. In regard to the first precondition, public knows that I am the first Macedonian politician in history to publicly offer a broader political debate regarding one of the greatest apostles of the Macedonian revolutionary movement,” Pendarovski said.
However, he added, “I did not go further, because that is the work of the joint historical commission and not of politicians.”
“We have discussed this topic with Prime Minister Zaev many times and we have never had a dispute that some personalities and events can be celebrated on both sides, but that the Macedonian people have their own history, just as the Bulgarian people have their own. In addition, in all my public appearances I clearly say that the anti-fascist struggle is built into the foundations of the modern Macedonian state and in that struggle, we fought against those who were on the side of the fascists. My 20 years of experience in international politics allow me to precisely choose words and express attitudes when talking to my Bulgarian interlocutors and our friends from the international community. The Macedonian-Bulgarian dispute can be resolved only if the dignity of both the Macedonian and the Bulgarian people is consistently respected and by avoiding the dangerous trap of historical revisionism when it is based upon political constructions instead of facts,” President Stevo Pendarovski underlined.
