North Macedonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed condemnation at the setting of the Bulgarian flag on fire at the Vevchani Carnival on Thursday, pointing out the act has tarnished the country’s reputation.

“A centuries-old tradition must not be jeopardized by incidents that deride or insult nations, countries, and especially our neighbors,” the MoFA wrote on its Facebook profile.

“We condemn the setting of the Republic of Bulgaria’s flag on fire at the Vevchani Carnival. It was an act that has damaged not only the reputation of the carnival but also the reputation of the Republic of North Macedonia,” the MoFA said.

Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva, also in a Facebook post, said that Bulgaria’s Ambassador to North Macedonia Angel Angelov had delivered a sharp note verbale to the Macedonian MoFA following reports of the Vevchani incident. “Upon receiving information that a Bulgarian flag was burned in the village of Vevchani in the Republic of North Macedonia,” FM Zaharieva wrote, “I asked the Bulgarian Ambassador in Skopje to express to the Republic of North Macedonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bulgaria’s strong indignation at this act of vandalism.”

North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski also condemned the burning of the Bulgarian flag.

“Setting the Republic of Bulgaria’s flag on fire during the carnival in Vevchani was inadmissible and disgraceful,” Pendarovski wrote on his Facebook profile.

“We need to build trust, understanding, and respect with our neighbors,” he highlighted.