I urge Europe not to allow Russian interests to be a reality in the Balkans once again in the 21st century, and not to allow the assimilation of the Macedonian people. VMRO-DPMNE is clear in its positions and under no condition will it deviate from them and accept the Bulgarian dictate, said VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski, replying to a media question on Tuesday.
“The same thing happened when the Bled Agreement was abandoned by Bulgaria unilaterally on the order of the then Soviet President Stalin, and unfortunately today the Kovachevski-Pendarovski-Osmani trio signed it only with a Macedonian hand. I often say that if Todor Zhivkov were alive, he would be very proud of these three and would call them hopeful Bulgarians, I’m sure,” Mickoski said.
“VMRO-DPMNE is clear in these positions and VMRO-DPMNE has no intention of backing down at any cost and will not accept the Bulgarian dictate at any cost. VMRO-DPMNE only demands that the rights of the Macedonian community in Pirin Macedonia be respected in the same way as they were respected and recognized during the Bled Agreement signed between the then Yugoslav communist dictator Tito and the Bulgarian communist president Gjorgi Dimitrov. It is complete cultural autonomy, giving Macedonians the full cultural right to study in their mother tongue, there was even a Macedonian national theater. On the one hand, you have 14 judgments from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, judgments that focus on the rights of the Macedonian community in Bulgaria and zero judgments on the Bulgarian community in Macedonia, whose rights are threatened here, who is subject to assimilation and who is subject to torture and terror, it is very clear. And VMRO-DPMNE has no intention of accepting a Bulgarian dictate,” Mickoski added.
