Sunday, July 16, 2006

Macedonia’s Former PM Ljubco Georgievski Received Bulgarian Citizenship (REVIEW)

Sofia/Skopje. “Former Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski has received a Bulgarian citizenship”, Bulgarian newspaper wrote, while in the meantime the Macedonian ones were denying the information. The news is true, but not quite – Georgievski received a Bulgarian citizenship almost a month before the parliamentary elections in Macedonia, which were held on July 5, 2006, a check up of FOCUS News Agency reveals.
Georgievski’s new address registration in the Bulgarian southwestern city of Blagoevgrad was completed last week, which was the reason why the media spread the information about the new national identity of VMRO-Narodna (People’s party) leader.
The Bulgarian Citizenship decree was issued and given to the former PM in Blagoevgrad. The document bears the signature of Bulgaria’s Vice President Angel Marin and was issued late May, the press office of the Bulgarian President confirmed for FOCUS.
Ljubco Georgievski adhered to all the necessary procedures as the presented documents bear a date from the end of 2005.
The address in the documents of the Bulgarian citizen Ljubco Georgievski is in the town of Blagoevgrad. The Bulgarian citizenship application of the former PM reads that his parents are Bulgarians by origin and he has attached the respective document issued by the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad.
Ljubco Georgievski won an MP seat in Macedonia’s new Parliament. He will continue living in Skopje and will have a double citizenship.


The Comments in Macedonia

Ljubco Georgievski denied the information about his Bulgarian citizenship, the Macedonian television Kanal 5 reported. Georgievski told the media that he was used to listening to lies against him, which were spread by police and political structures.
The spokesman for VMRO-Narodna (People’s Party) Alexander Georgiev refuted before FOCUS News Agency the information that the party leader and Macedonia’s former Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski has Bulgarian citizenship.
“In principle I do not want to comment on these statements as they are lies,” Alexander Georgiev said. According to him such statements aim at shifting the focus of attention from the formation of the new Macedonian government.
“Ljubco Georgievski is used to such speculations. He has acquired many citizenships through the years – he has been a Bulgarian, a Serb, a Greek,” VMRO-Narodna spokesman pointed out.

“The personal documents of Ljubco Georgievski are his own business”, Iljaz Halimi, deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA), told FOCUS News Agency.
"The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) doesn't want to comment on the activities of VMRO-Narodna (People’s party), particularly the activities of its leader Ljubco Georgievski", VMRO-DPMNE’s spokesman Alexander Bicikliski told FOCUS News Agency. He was asked to comment on the news that the former Macedonian Prime Minister had received a Bulgarian citizenship.
“In principle, we do not comment on anything related to that party”, Bicikliski added.

“I don’t know whether Ljubco Georgievski has received a Bulgarian citizenship”, Vesna Janevska, acting leader of VMRO-Narodna (People’s party) told FOCUS News Agency. She was asked to comment on the information that the former Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski had received a Bulgarian citizenship.
“At present Macedonia is forming a government, which is the most important event in the country now, not the documents of Ljubco Georgievski”, Janevska stressed. According to her, the personal documents of anyone should not be commented.


The Comments in Bulgaria

The fact that VMRO-Narodna (People’s Party) leader and Macedonia’s former Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski has received Bulgarian citizenship is something quite normal. This is what the Bulgarian historian and director of national Museum of History Professor Bozhidar Dimitrov told FOCUS News Agency from Macedonia.
It is a typical phenomenon MPs from anti-Bulgarian parties to have Bulgarian citizenship. The same is applicable for high-ranking police personnel and for many Ministers from different parties, the historian said.
“In my opinion Ljubco Georgievski has lawfully received a Bulgarian citizenship as he pointed to the fact that his parents are Bulgarians and at some point he felt like a Bulgarian,” Professor Dimitrov commented. He also said that the information curtain between the two countries is lifting and as a result we are getting closer to the historical truth.
To the question how this piece of news is being commented in Macedonia Professor Dimitrov replied that “two thirds of the people approve of it.”

“The ethnic Bulgarians have to receive Bulgarian citizenship by means of a facilitated procedure”, leader of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO), Krasimir Karakachanov told FOCUS News Agency.
“It’s two completely different things when a Chinese or a Palestine applies for Bulgarian citizenship and when an ethnic Bulgarian, no matter whether s/he lives in Macedonia, the Western Outskirts, Ukraine, Moldova or anywhere in the world, wants a Bulgarian citizenship. Bulgaria has to use the experience of Germany, Hungary and Greece, which give citizenship to their ethic co-citizens almost automatically”, Karakachanov stressed.

No comments: