Macedonia and Bulgaria: Political Relations

[Bratot]

Pozdrav EDDIE!

Dobredojde!

[Bill77]

EU tells Bulgaria to appoint Friendly Ambassadors to Skopje and Ankara

EU tells Bulgaria to appoint Friendly Ambassadors to Skopje and Ankara

Bulgaria will appoint a pro-European Ambassador to Macedonia after the country was criticized by the EU that its previous diplomats in Skopje in few instances aggravated the climate in the relations between the two countries, Macedonian media reports.


European leaders have long been disgruntled by Bulgaria’s attitude to Macedonia and Turkey and demand from Sofia to appoint diplomats to Skopje and Ankara, who would contribute to establishing good neighborly relations. Bulgaria’s fourth Ambassador to Skopje, according to some sources, would be Rakovski Lashev, a career diplomat, who until months back worked as a secretary to the Bulgarian UN Mission in Geneva.

Earlier, Lashev worked at the OSCE office. The Bulgarian government is expected to confirm Lashev’s appointment and instate him within a couple of months. Bulgaria has not had an Ambassador to Skopje for a year since the previous Ambassador Miho Mihov ran for member of parliament and left office earlier, the article states.

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/11834/45/

We will see how this one works out. Friendly Bulgarian towards Macedonians?????? i will belive it when i see it.

[Soldier of Macedon]

These clown don't adhere to any advice, how can they when their psychotic leaders follow our PM around like some racists foaming at the mouth.

[Big Bad Sven]

Macedonians have already seen “Bulgarian friendship” in the past – so expect the worst guys.

[Soldier of Macedon]

We would expect nothing less from the Bulgars, or, as our ancestors called them over 150 years ago, the Tatars.

[Risto the Great]

Introduction of the euro in Bulgaria is at stake

http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n206608

Bulgaria, the newest and poorest EU member state appears as a fiscal model for a large number of EU member states that are combating against the crisis, Macedonian newspaper Vreme reported, as citing the Wall Street Journal. Despite the strict budget of Bulgaria, the debts of other EU states may prevent aspiration of Sofia to join the eurozone in the next three years, the publication said. According to the Bulgarian Ministry of Finance, Bulgaria has the lowest budget deficit last year among the 27 EU member states and is expected to be the only EU state with a balanced budget in 2010. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who received international acclaim for reducing costs, expressed concerns that the fiscal achievements of Bulgaria will not guarantee the country accession in the eurozone.

What makes Macedonians think that once they join the EU club they won't be treated like naughty children (still) .... just like the Bulgarians.

[TajnataKniga]

bulgarians are naughty children and they should be treated that way. macedonia at lease has decency and respect for civil rights.

[Dimko-piperkata]

Ex Bulgarian President spills the Beans, calls Greece shameful

Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgaria's first democratically elected President, says Greece's policy towards its neighbouring country the Republic of Macedonia is shameful.

- The western neighbour should retain its name the Republic of Macedonia as it was called in the Yugoslavian federation for a period of 50 years. Why Greece didn't raise the name issue back then during Tito's rule? Because it was afraid. It's shameful to treat this country in such a manner, stated the former Bulgarian President in an interview published on the web site of BGNES news agency.

Bulgaria was the first country that had recognised Macedonia, which was largely due to Zhelev's contribution, says the agency.

- The circumstances dictated the tempo in which this decision had to be adopted - rapidly or slowly, says Zhelev. This was when the war in former Yugoslavia was raging and certain issues had to be solved quickly. We initially decided to turn towards the Balkan states - neighbours of Yugoslavia and especially towards Macedonia to refrain from participating in this war. The second thing we urged the neighbours of Macedonia to do was to recognise it as an independent and autonomous country i.e. to recognise its state sovereignty and territorial integrity. They agreed in principle, but things didn't go as planned, states Zhelev.

At the same time, the issue needed to be reviewed in the European Union. The European Commission ordered the establishment of a commission chaired by the renown French lawyer and politician Robert Badinter, which founded the criteria under which the former Yugoslav countries should have been recognised as independent states, says Zhelev adding: This commission successfully completed its tasks and in a report emphasised that only two states had meet the criteria to be recognised as independent, because there weren't gripped by wars or civil unrest - Slovenia and Macedonia.

Regardless of the recommendations adopted by the Badinter commission, Macedonia was left behind as candidate for independent country since Greece - using the mandatory consensus in such cases, said it denied its recognition. This was unfair for Macedonia. Then it was decided Bulgaria to be the first country to recognise Macedonia together with other three former Yugoslav republics - Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia and Croatia.

Later, at the economic forum in Davos, Zhelev spoke to Turkey's PM, Süleyman Demirel. - He carefully heard my arguments and said: "In at least week's time, the government of Turkey will recognise the Republic of Macedonia". And exactly after eight or ten days, the news that the government of Turkey had recognised Macedonia as an independent and sovereign state was spread.

Zhelev held similar talks with the former President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin in 1992. - At our joint meeting in the Boyana Residence I told the Russian President that still there was no decree recognising Macedonia. Yeltsin immediately called the minister of foreign affairs Andrei Kozyrev and ordered him to write the decree, who tried to convince him that Greece would be angered by the move. Yeltsin replied: "I don't care about Greece, Bulgaria's position is right". The decree was signed on 3 August 1992, Zhelev says.

On Friday (Jan. 15), Dr. Zhelyu Zhelev - the President of Bulgaria in the period between 1990-1997 - will be awarded by Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov with the 8 September Order - Macedonia's highest state recognition.

- With this move, I am expressing great and sincere gratitude to you and to your personal contribution to the development of friendly and neighbourly relations between our two countries and for the role played in the period of Macedonia's recognition by the Republic of Bulgaria, says President Ivanov in a letter sent to Dr. Zhelev.

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/11903/2/

shameful is also the bulgayrian behaviour againt the macedonian minorities !
when will be OMO-ILINDEN-PIRIN registered, mr zhelev

[Risto the Great]

Yeah, why not, give him a medal.

I wonder when former Greek politicians will start admitting their guilt.
Won't be long.

[Spartan]

^^Dont hold your breath Risto
Admitting guilt isnt one of our strong points

[Lügendetektor]

Yeah, why not, give him a medal.

I wonder when former Greek politicians will start admitting their guilt.
Won't be long.

allready done...
130 Millions for (failed?) hellenization process

now, hello to everyone...my first post, sorry of my bad english, but macedonian and german are my domestic languages
:rmacedonia

[Risto the Great]

Dobrodojde Lügendetektor.

[Lügendetektor]

Dobrodojde Lügendetektor.

Blagodaram, pozdrav od Makedonija

[makedonche]

allready done...
130 Millions for (failed?) hellenization process

now, hello to everyone...my first post, sorry of my bad english, but macedonian and german are my domestic languages
:rmacedonia

Zdravo Lugendetektor
Welcome

[Rogi]

Zelev has also once given a statement saying that there is no such thing as the Macedonian language and that it is Bulgarian.

Anyone still think he deserves a medal? I'm a little confused as to why they're giving him a medal.