The joint historical commission between Bulgaria and North Macedonia has turned into a political “alibi” amid frozen relations between the two countries, Bulgarian co-chair Prof. Angel Dimitrov said in an interview with public broadcaster BNT.
“After eight years of work and 38 meetings, we are still stuck on the history textbook for the seventh grade,” Dimitrov said, describing the situation as “stagnation and paralysis” that mirrors the overall political inertia in North Macedonia.
He accused the Macedonian side of “strictly following the state’s political line and the doctrine of Macedonism,” which he said prevents any acknowledgment of the two nations’ shared history — a key element of the 2017 Friendship and Good-Neighbourliness Treaty.
Dimitrov said the commission’s formal activity merely creates the illusion that dialogue is ongoing. “This is the only working body established under the treaty, but the lack of results shows how little real commitment there is to the agreement itself,” he added.
He also referred to the long-delayed railway project along Corridor VIII, linking the two countries through a cross-border tunnel. “The symbolic first dig was made more than 30 years ago, yet progress remains minimal,” Dimitrov said, adding jokingly that if construction continues at the current pace, “we might need additional border guards at the European side of the tunnel.”
Although North Macedonia has changed its members in the commission, Dimitrov said the working approach remains the same. “Our colleagues insist on avoiding any mention that the Ohrid Archbishopric was a continuation of the Bulgarian Patriarchate, despite clear historical sources,” he said.
“The core reason for the deadlock is the refusal to speak about a shared history — an idea enshrined in both the preamble and the spirit of the friendship treaty,” Dimitrov concluded.