North Macedonia’s Foreign Ministry summons Bulgarian representative over statements by Demerdzhiev and Radukov

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Republic of North Macedonia today summoned a representative of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria who is serving as chargé d’affaires in the absence of the ambassador.

During the meeting, the Macedonian side expressed dissatisfaction with the recent statement by Bulgaria’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Ivan Demerdzhiev, regarding the case of Iva Mihailova. According to the Foreign Ministry, the statement was deemed offensive and provocative.

The statement made by Ambassador Zhelyazko Radukov on Bulgarian television channel BTV was also rejected. The Macedonian authorities described it as direct interference in the country’s internal affairs, particularly because of the assessments made regarding the work of the competent institutions.

“We particularly emphasized that such provocations divert bilateral dialogue from the framework in which good-neighborly relations should develop, based on mutual respect, restraint and constructive communication,” the Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry said that, under these circumstances, such conduct could lead to the need for an appropriate institutional response, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The convention clearly defines the limits of diplomatic action and the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of the host state.

“At the end of the meeting, we reaffirmed our commitment to strengthening good-neighborly relations based on mutual respect, trust and European principles. We expect the same commitment and responsibility from the Bulgarian side,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In an interview, Demerdzhiev referred to the Macedonian authorities as “Serbian.” “We neither demand nor will we hand [her] over to the Serbian authorities,” Demerdzhiev said.