Bulgaria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement following the summoning of the Bulgarian ambassador to North Macedonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Skopje. Skopje lodged an official protest with Ambassador Zhelyazko Radukov, as the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski reportedly felt offended by a comment made by Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev during an interview with the private TV channel bTV.

Skopje expressed dissatisfaction with the use of the term “North Macedonian Prime Minister” in reference to Mickoski. Ambassador Radukov expressed his surprise at the occasion of his summoning, especially against the backdrop of a series of unfriendly messages and actions coming from officials in Skopje in recent months. He explicitly emphasized that in the public space the official authorities of the Republic of North Macedonia systematically and purposefully demonstrate a lack of respect toward Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

''Bulgaria will not tolerate hate speech, personal attacks and deliberate undermining of relations between the countries. Such statements by official authorities in the Republic of North Macedonia create a climate of hostility and do not demonstrate political will to return to a normal, respectful and constructive dialogue'', the statement further reads.

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