Aleksandar Vucic's Serbia joined the powerful anti-Bulgarian campaign launched by the government of Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, BGNES reported.
The Serbian pro-government media "Politika" said that Bulgaria is blocking Skopje's European integration in a detailed report on the unofficial visit of Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova to Sofia.
The arsenal of aggression against Bulgaria is identical in Belgrade and in Skopje.
"Siljanovska used the means of cultural diplomacy, took a step towards thawing relations with the neighbor who is hindering the European integration of North Macedonia... Apart from the fact that the pro-Western ideological views of the Macedonian president and the pro-Russian orientation of the Bulgarian president, as characterized in diplomatic circles , were disguised in a diplomatic tone, Bulgaria also used this opportunity to humiliate North Macedonia. The Macedonian national flag was not present at this meeting," the article says.
Its author writes that the former ruling parties in the Republic of Macedonia - the Social Democratic Union /SDSM/ and the Democratic Union for Integration /DSI/ - were "thrown out of power because of bilateral relations with Bulgaria and Greece."
"In the last elections, people trusted the VMRO-DPMNE party, whose leader is Mickoski, to preserve the identity of the people and the state, considering that the previous government did not protect the Macedonian identity and language enough. Bulgaria blocked North Macedonia on the path of European integration, by setting the condition that the country should include the Bulgarians in the Constitution. Brussels gave absolute support to Bulgaria, presenting a French-German proposal for the resolution of this bilateral dispute. Therefore, until Skopje officially changes the constitution, the EU will not allow further negotiations for accession. Macedonian citizens are fed up with constant conditions and bitter political concessions that do not lead the country to the desired prospects", "Politika" states and continues:
"Siljanovska focused on cultural diplomacy, on "soft power", precisely on the way to preserve the Macedonian identity and language. She was delighted by the performance of "Die Walküre" of the Bulgarian Opera in Skopje and then indicated that she would attend the performance of "Nabucco” by Verdi at the Macedonian Opera in Sofia, which she did on September 13... Despite the inconvenience she felt at the lack of her country's flag, Siljanovska wisely stayed, not succumbing to the provocation and not leaving the meeting in protest, which could further worsen the relationship between the two neighbors. Perhaps in that difficult moment the genius Verdi and his "Nabucco" gave her the strength to remain (in Sofia) in the interest of her country and nation and turn the scandal, despite everything, into an opportunity to improve the strained relations with the Bulgarian neighbor." | BGNES
