Thursday, January 18, 2007

Macedonia's Envoy to Sofia to Explain Attack on Bulgarians

Macedonia's Ambassador to Sofia will have to appear before the Foreign Ministry in Bulgaria and explain the incident in which Bulgarians, celebrating one of their patrons in Macedonia were attacked and beaten up.

The envoy will have to tell the ministry why the local police didn't protect the Bulgarians and how come they allowed an organized attack on them. The gang that beat up the people gathered to commemorate Bulgarian revolutionary Mara Buneva had agreed to thwart the celebration through text messages in a TV show, media claim.

Some of the witnesses told private bTV channel that there were fans of the local Vardar football club among the gang. They were targeting the elderly people, the one who couldn't really protect themselves, a witness said.

Many of the injured have gone to the hospital to have a medical certificate of their condition so they can later use it in court.

Anti-Bulgarian moods in Macedonia have escalated with the growing number of Macedonians who flock to get Bulgarian citizenship now that the country is part of the EU. The incident in Skopje is a proof that certain circles in Macedonia continue their attempts for leading active propaganda against Bulgaria, Foreign Ministry spokesman Dimitar Tsanchev said, commenting the incident.

"What happened shows that some circles in Macedonia obviously prefer to live in the spirit of the past and stay oblivious to the European values and standards," he added in a statement.

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