Kajçev: In 2019, we agreed that Tsar Samuel ruled a medieval state identified as the Bulgarian Kingdom

Bulgarian historian Naum Kajçev, a member of the Joint Historical and Educational Commission between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, spoke about the expected transfer of Tsar Samuel’s remains from Thessaloniki to Sofia.

He assessed that North Macedonian authorities might choose to respond officially with “more silence”, while warning that positions questioning Samuel’s historical affiliation had already emerged.

According to Kajçev, in 2019 the Joint Commission agreed that Samuel had been the leader of a medieval state that most modern historiography recognizes as the Bulgarian Kingdom.

“Samuel, as a figure in our shared history, should serve as a bridge of unity between us,” the historian said in an interview with Euronews Bulgaria.

During the interview, Kajçev also addressed demands from North Macedonia that Bulgaria return cultural assets taken during wartime periods.

He said that during the Balkan Wars and the World Wars, the Bulgarian authorities and army protected many important manuscripts and historical objects, including materials linked to the Archbishopric of Ohrid and Tsar Samuel.

Kajçev added that the legal aspects concerning these assets had already been clarified, while resolving the issue depended largely on “goodwill and proper understanding”, as well as recognition that history should bring peoples together rather than divide them./Telegrafi/