North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski on Saturday criticised what he described as retrograde rhetoric from Bulgarian members of the European Parliament, accusing them of reviving language reminiscent of Bulgaria’s communist-era leader Todor Zhivkov.
His remarks come ahead of the presentation of a progress report on North Macedonia by MEP Thomas Waitz. Mickoski said a Bulgarian MEP had submitted an amendment to the report seeking to define the Macedonian identity and language as “present” rather than “centuries-old,” as originally worded by Waitz.
“I regret that lawmakers from our eastern neighbour are resorting to rhetoric that echoes the era of Zhivkovism,” Mickoski told reporters.
He added that his government would not respond with harsh language, but instead would express regret and uphold the principles of good neighbourly relations.
“What concerns me more is the attempt by an MEP from the ruling GERB party to push through an amendment redefining the Macedonian identity as something current rather than historical. This promotes a policy that, unfortunately, still lingers among some politicians in Sofia,” the prime minister said.