Our statehood rests on the anti-fascism actions, but it is unacceptable to give fascism ethnic traits, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said Thursday following the public outcry over his interview with Bulgarian news agency BGNES.
Speaking to reporters, PM Zaev pointed out that the Macedonian language and the Macedonian identity are non-negotiable and no one across the world negotiates on identity or mother tongue. He added that Bulgaria acknowledges the reality of the Macedonian language and identity but wants to talk about the history, the past and the roots.
“ASNOM is a historic affirmation of our Macedonian language and our Macedonian identity. But it is unacceptable to give fascism ethnic traits, be it in Bulgarian or any other context. The dark pages of Balkan and European history should not hinder the development of goodneighborly relations in the Balkans and Europe,” Zaev said on Thursday.
He expressed regret that the interview had caused strong negative emotions which he fully understands.
“At the same time, I am bound by the citizens to find solutions for issues that have been opened with the Republic of Bulgaria and have become an obstacle for the endorsement of the EU negotiating framework. Both nations, Macedonians and Bulgarians, should face these historical issues, so that we develop and sustain the capacity of understanding and forgiveness. European nations have agreed not to forget but to forgive. For the sake of the future. For the sake of the common future in the European Union, which is a model of leaving the deepest differences and historical conflicts behind in the name of future. This is my intention and I will promote it as long as there is the slightest chance for solutions and success in our EU accession process and the start of the negotiations,” said PM Zaev, adding that goodneighborly relations and a common future can be built only through respect of differences and joint fight against hate speech and intolerance in the Macedonian and Bulgarian societies.
President Stevo Pendarovski, in an interview with Deutsche Welle in Macedonian on Thursday, 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.
“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.”
Deputy PM for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov in a Facebook post on Thursday said history should be left to historians, and politicians should deal with the present and the future.
“The idea of the treaty was to leave history to historians, so that we can deal with the present and the future. To resolve bilateral issues bilaterally, without such issues being an obstacle on the path to the EU,” Dimitrov said.
He added that the Macedonian language and identity can not be an obstacle to integration with the Union, which respects cultural and linguistic diversity as a fundamental value, nor can they be an obstacle to true friendship, because it is always based on mutual respect.“This is my principled position, this is a battle not only for the Macedonian essence, but the essence of the European values, from which there’s no deviation,” underlined Dimitrov.According to him, “this is a never-ending ‘virus’ of ideals, against which a ‘vaccine’ is sought in vain.”
Defense Minister Radmila Shekerinska, commenting on the BGNES interview with Zaev, said the PM did not deny fascism or the country’s anti-fascist struggle.
“As a Government and people in it we will do everything in our power to avoid all of us being hostages of history. The dark pages of Balkan history should not be our destiny and if European nations found the strength to never forget but forgive, then we should do the same. Our attempt, as a Government, is to find solutions that secure our European future,” Shekerinska underlined.
She added that the Government has already demonstrated its will and capacity to reach a compromise, but also to say ‘No’ when proposals are unacceptable, and would continue to do the same.
PM Zoran Zaev’s interview with BGNES also prompted a reaction from former SDSM leader Branko Crvenkovski, who noted that the interview already has and will further cause negative and long-term consequences for North Macedonia and the Macedonian people. Moreover, he called on SDSM to schedule immediately a session of its Central Board, announcing that until then he will suspend his party membership.
In response to Crvenkovski, SDSM backed its leader and PM Zaev’s position, pointing out it is the position of the party and its bodies, and the government based on citizens’ trust in the last elections.
“Everyone has a right to express their opinion, even after being silent for so long. However, citizens and SDSM have chosen a future in Europe. They’ve made brave and patriotic decision that finally moved North Macedonia and the Macedonian people towards achieving strategic goals of NATO and EU accession. The results of SDSM’s and the government’s policies are clearly visible today,” SDSM said in a press release.
“SDSM and the Macedonian citizens chose future and chose to move forward, a long time ago. Crvenkovski is history. SDSM was, is and will remain a state-building party, which has always further enhanced in such extremely important times,” the press release adds.
Opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski, during a protest staged by VMRO-DPMNE on Thursday evening, called on PM Zaev to resign from his post following the interview with BGNES and to issue a public apology for offending the Macedonian citizens, ancestors and heroes.
““VMRO-DPMNE is in favor of friendly relations with neighbours. Friendship means helping each other. Bulgaria has no gain of humiliating us, but it’s especially hurtful when humiliation comes from one of our own. I’m asking Zaev to immediately apologize for the position he expressed in Bulgarian media, offending Macedonian people, our ancestors and heroes,” Mickoski said, announcing that VMRO-DPMNE will stage new protests throughout North Macedonia on Friday, in line with coronavirus protocols.
In addition, chair of the Macedonian team in the joint Macedonian-Bulgarian commission for historical and educational issues, Dragi Gjorgiev, told Deutsche Welle that, in general, the approach of using historical issues as a political tool is wrong. Historical controversies, misunderstandings and historiographical disputes should be resolved by historians, not politicians. He added that he wouldn’t like to comment on political statements, whether they come from the Macedonian side or the Bulgarian side. However, what currently reflects the situation, Gjorgiev sees as the result of a generally wrong approach.
“In Bulgaria, they got disappointed because they had hoped that their perception would be easily imposed here and it would be accepted. Here, the Bulgarian veto was taken very hard, because it was thought that close relations would prevail. This is due to the fact that we know little about each other. We need time to discuss, to argue even, on a scientific level, so that we get to know each other better, and not raise expectations unreasonably but keep them at a reasonable level, in the long-run. That way, there’ll be less disappointment and more time for dialogue. To break the ice, we need time, dialogue and patience,” Gjorgiev pointed out.
The Union of Fighters in the National Liberation and Anti-Fascist War of Macedonia 1941-1945 also responded to PM Zaev’s interview with BGNES, saying they feel offended by such downplaying of their struggle and revision of the generally accepted history on the Second World War. The Union members called on the PM to distance himself from his views.
On the other hand, Bulgarian Deputy PM and Defense Minister Krasimir Karakachanov said Thursday that PM Zoran Zaev’s interview with news agency BGNES was a step in the right direction.
“What Zaev did was commendable. He found courage, something which his opponents are criticizing. If he carries on like this, I think we’ll be able to discuss next year the start of accession negotiations,” Karakachanov told reporters during a visit to Bulgaria’s National Military University “Vasil Levski”, which was established 142 years ago
In the meantime, Bulgarian officials told the interim Macedonian Ambassador to Bulgaria during a meeting at the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry on Thursday that Sofia appreciates Skopje’s quick reaction to provocations regarding the burning of the Bulgarian flag and hate speech against members of the Bulgarian government on social media.
Yet, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said in an interview with Spanish news agency EFE that Bulgaria will block the start of EU accession talks until North Macedonia abandons hate rhetoric towards all things Bulgarian. According to Zaharieva, relations between Bulgaria and North Macedonia should resemble those between Spain and Latin America.
“The problem with history lies in false interpretation of events and people that has a direct impact on current affairs and leads to hate rhetorics and negative campaign towards Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people, something which we absolutely cannot allow,” she noted.
Zaharieva reiterated criticism that North Macedonia has failed to abide by the Friendship Treaty, and also said that Bulgaria fears North Macedonia’s territorial pretensions, as well as claims of Macedonian minority in the country.
Berlin remains committed as to the start of accession negotiations with North Macedonia by the end of the year, said German Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth in a joint interview with North Macedonia’s Deputy PM for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov for German national daily newspaper Die Welt.
“As a confident European I remain optimistic. Germany made a promise to do its best during its EU presidency to start accession negotiations with North Macedonia. And I feel an obligation to fulfil this promise. Negotiations haven’t failed yet, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” Roth said.
“At the recent meeting of the Council of Ministers almost all delegations reiterated that bilateral issues should remain between two countries and that we should focus on other issues crucial for starting accession talks. We desperately need to send a positive signal to the Western Balkans,” he added.
Dimitrov on his part said discussions will continue in the next few weeks and hopefully, with the help of Germany’s EU Presidency, North Macedonia and Bulgaria will find common ground. “Obstacles always go in favor of sceptics and nationalists. Slim hopes for making the European vision a reality harm implementation of pro-European reforms,” he added.
