Macedonian Bulgarians want Politicians in Sofia to Defend their Position Firmly

An appeal has been issued by the organization of the Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia. It addresses politicians in Bulgaria, stating that they feel like second class citizens in Macedonia, and they are treated as if they don’t exist. Propaganda in North Macedonia is rampant, and the language of hatred is astonishingly widespread. “We want things to change, that our children can be called Bulgarians, that we can, like all other citizens of RNM, work fully and equally for its state, for its economic, political and social rise”.

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“For us, the language of hatred for everything Bulgarian, which dominates in RN Macedonia, resonates much more than for the people in Bulgaria. It is a daily pain for us to send our children to school to teach them that their relatives are fascists, Tatars, Mongols and what not.”

They have stated that they want North Macedonia to have the capability to start negotiations for its EU membership, only after it has resolved the issues of history, monuments, traditions, language, equality, and everything else, which is related to the identity of the Bulgarians in the country. The accession of Macedonia to the European Union will be highly beneficial for the region, increasing stability, cooperation, innovation, and making it greatly interconnected. Dissolving the border can finally bring the two extremely similar cultures, with a millennium-and-a-half-old, shared history together once again, after being separated for almost a century.

One thing to note is that the Macedonian Bulgarians are not the ones benefitting the most from Macedonia being accepted into the EU, as 140 000 of them already have Bulgarian citizenships and are EU citizens as well. In addition to that, it is estimated that around 200 000 more citizens of North Macedonia are waiting to receive Bulgarian citizenship as well.

We want to see a common future, as we share a common past. We want to stop this language of hatred between both brotherly nations. We want the propaganda to end. We need a common European future. Nationalism must die so that people can prosper.