Bulgarian ambassador to Skopje prevented from laying flowers in memory of Gotse Delchev

Hooligans have prevented the Bulgarian ambassador to Macedonia to lay flowers on the 109th death anniversary of Gotse Delchev in Saint Spas church in Skopje.

The Bulgarian delegation which is headed by Sofia’s newly appointed ambassador in Skopje Ivan Petkov and local Bulgarians tried to lay flowers at the sarcophagus that holds the bones of the apostle of the struggles of Bulgarians in Macedonia and Edirne region, Gotse Delchev.

Outside Saint Spas church the Bulgarian group was assaulted by an organized group of hooligans.
Bulgarian Dragan Popov, who was an eyewitness, said that the group of Bulgarians was barred from laying flowers at the grave and the Bulgarian ambassador did not lay any. According to him the Macedonians were from the antique wing of VMRO-DPMNE.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev described the case in Skopje as intolerable.

The Macedonian ambassador in Sofia will be summoned to explain the case in Skopje when the Bulgarian ambassador was not allowed to lay wreaths and flowers at the monument of Gotse Delchev on his death anniversary, President Rosen Plevneliev said in the southwestern Bulgarian town of Gotse Delchev.

Greek citizens travel to Macedonia, Bulgaria for gasoline, cigarettes....

Hundreds of Greeks travel daily across the border to neighboring Bulgaria and Macedonia to obtain gasoline, cigarettes, alcoholic beverages and many other products at lower prices, reads Greek daily "Agelioforos".

The successive increase of excise tax and VAT in Greece has opened the price range on these products, leading consumers and professionals from many border areas (Kilkis, Serres, Drama, Evros, etc.) to focus on markets in Bulgaria and Macedonia, not only to obtain gasoline and supermarket items, and even to buy cigarettes and drinks.

The price difference of unleaded gas between Greece and Bulgaria reaches 40 cents per liter or up to 20 euros for the whole tank.

Cigarettes in Macedonia are 50% cheaper, with a box costing 16 euros compared to 38 in Greece.

Alcoholic beverages differences are smaller and do not exceed 5-6 euros per bottle, but it is enough to drive professionals on the other side of the border to buy whiskey, vodka, etc.

Losses to the Greek state are huge, as only three stations in Svilengrad, 5 km from the Greek-Bulgarian border, last weekend formed queues of cars from Greece putting 150,000 liters of unleaded gas, with losses for the Greek state funds in excess of 150,000 euros, reads the newspaper.

Macedonia Wants Share in NPP Belene

Reportedly, Skopje has been probing for opportunities to get a minority stake in Bulgaria's NPP Belene. Macedonia is the second Balkan country to show interest in the project after Serbia, but it has not announced its intentions, yet. A few countries in the Balkan region have shown interest in the construction of Bulgaria's second nuclear power plant. It's good if our neighbors join in, as they will provide part of the funds necessary to build the plan, as well as potential markets for the electricity that it will generate," MPs told the Standart. 

On Friday Serbia's President Boris Tadic arrives on an official visit to Bulgaria. One of the main topics he will discuss with his Bulgarian counterpart, Boyko Borissov will be Belgrade's possible participation in Belene project. Serbia's possible participation as an investor in the project has been rumoured for about two months. Such an option has been defined as very beneficial for the Serbian side by both politicians and scientists because it would provide Serbia with electricity for dozens of years ahead purchased from an EU member state.

Meanwhile Bulgaria's Minister of Energy and Economy, Traycho Traykov stated there was not a hundred percent certainty on Belene NPP construction being carried out. If the project is abandoned, Bulgaria will avail of the opportunity to build new units in Kozloduy NPP.

Sofia abuses with issuing of passports to foreigners

"Official Sofia continues issuing Bulgarian passports to foreigners and is doing abuse of the ethnic origin of the new Bulgarians, the World Macedonian Congress (WMC) announced, cited by a Macedonian media. CMS urged the Macedonian Government to return the Act of 2002 and “to continue issuing citizenships to Macedonians nationals by origin”.


"Despite despair attempts of Sofia to seek Bulgarians in Albania, CMS will take all measures at the upcoming census in Albania Macedonians to express freely their ethnic, linguistic and religious affinity," the release of CMS says.

Police bust Bulgarian-Macedonian ATM manipulation

Police busted 8-member Bulgarian-Macedonian criminal group, which used to manipulate and drain ATMs in Macedonia, Macedonian Utrinski Vesnik daily informs.
Only for a week, the group managed to steal more than MKD 1 million (MKD 61 = EUR 1) with the use of forged bankcards.
The group consists of 5 Macedonian and 3 Bulgarian nationals and used to operate mainly in Skopje, Ohrid, Stip, Radovis and Veles.
The criminals were arrested on Saturday.
The Prosecution Office in Stip has brought charges against the defendants.

Bulgaria prevents Macedonian organizations from entering country

The World Macedonian Congress, Alliance of Muslim Macedonians, Ancient Macedonians Alliance as well as hundreds of other Macedonians were prevented from entering Bulgaria earlier today.


The trip was organized to pay respect to famous Macedonian revolutionary Jane Sandanski at the Rozen Monastery who today marked 95th anniversary of his death.


The Zlatarevo border crossing was beefed up by Bulgarian police who were expecting a wave of Macedonian tourists for Sandanski's anniversary.


Despite the 'no visa' policy, not a single Macedonian was allowed entry, even the ones who were not going to Sandanski's anniversary. The Bulgarian police and customs officials cited "no health insurance" as the reason for not allowing the Macedonians an entry. When their demands defied logic, Bulgarian police changed to "no invitation" as the reason for not allowing entry.


Head of the World Macedonian Congress, Todor Petrov said this is not new, Bulgarian Government's discrimination towards Macedonians is rampant and this surely was a great example of it.

Greeks and Bulgarians -Yesterday's bitter enemies today's best friends

Just recently someone handed me a Bulgarian newspaper and pointed to the headline; "Bulgarian-Greek Cultural event" with the Bulgarian flag on the left and the Greek flag on the right. Wow! I never thought that in my lifetime I would see the words "Bulgarian", "Greek" and "together" in a friendly way in the same sentence. The world is indeed changing and from what I gather, for the better. I hope!


The article went on to say:


"The event was organized by Cosmos Translations Inc and the Marketing Department of the OTN Greek Television Network, from the Greek side, and by the newspaper ´Bulgarian Flame´ and ´Balkanto´ from the Bulgarian side.


The two groups of Canadian-Bulgarians and Greek-Canadians had the opportunity to discuss ways and means to enhance their cultural presence in the Greater Toronto area.


The event was attended also by the Consul of the Republic of Bulgaria in Toronto Mr. Kamen Dikov and his wife and by some other prominent business personalities. Between them we discerned Tom Michalopoulos, (president of Coffee Time and other franchises) and his wife, Loui Masouras, as well as a representative of the Canadian Bulgarian Business Alliance (CBBA).


We hope that this meeting will be followed by many more, for the purpose of enhancing and enriching the cultural presence of both communities in Toronto and beyond."


(The story appeared in the January 22, 2010 issue of the "Bulgarian Flame" Toronto based Bulgarian newspaper.


I know a lot of you are saying, "What´s the big deal?" So a bunch of Greeks got together with a bunch of Bulgarians and had a good time. So what!


Well I grew up in Greece and as far as I am concerned the Greek educational system and Greek society in general taught me not to trust Bulgarians. Bulgarians, according to some Greeks, are allegedly the worst kind of humans to exist on this planet. I even heard from older generations that the Bulgarians are terrible "one-eyed" monsters to be avoided at any cost. So, for me at least, to see this kind of acceptance and friendship between Greeks and Bulgarians is somewhat of a miracle. If this is possible then perhaps there is hope that there will be acceptance of Macedonians and they too will have friendly relations with the Greeks and Bulgarians because, after all, they are a common link between Greeks and Bulgarians. Greece and Bulgaria became "worst enemies" over Macedonia, so what´s wrong with them becoming "best friends" because of Macedonia?


Greece and Bulgaria were indifferent to each other for many years, that is, until they both began looking to annex Macedonian territories. Then in 1913 they fought one another in pitch battles over who was going to get more of Macedonia. That fight continued all through the Second Balkan War, World Wars I and II and by the 1950´s they became fanatic bitter enemies. In fact, if I remember my history correctly, when Bulgaria capitulated in 1913, after fighting Romania, Ottoman Turkey, Serbia and Greece, it handed Sofia over to Romania because it did not want the Greeks to set foot on it fearing the Greeks would slaughter the entire population to the last man, woman and child. And now you tell me they are best friends? Who would have thought?


There is no rhyme or reason for the Greeks and Bulgarians to be best friends now, just like that. Being the suspicious kind that I am, I thought there had to be more. Historically, the only time Greeks and Bulgarians came even close to being friends was when they needed each other and had mutual interests at stake.


In the early 1900´s they both wanted Macedonian territories but could not individually defeat the Ottoman Empire to get them. So at some point in time they must have realized that it was more beneficial to both to be allies instead of enemies. Greece and Bulgaria must have realized that they could successfully defeat the Ottoman Empire only if they put their combined effort together. So they became friends and the first thing they did in July 1910, was to reconcile their "Church" differences between the Bulgarian Exarchate and the Greek Patriarchate, two bitter enemies who had fought to the death.


Their friendship unfortunately only lasted as long as they had a common enemy, the Ottomans, but as soon as the Ottomans were driven out of Macedonia they again became bitter enemies and fought each other for a bigger piece of Macedonia. So excuse me for being the suspicious type but I bet you this "new" so-called "Greek" – "Bulgarian friendship" has something to do with "Macedonia".


You see Serbia too was a "partner" who benefited from Macedonia´s partition in 1913. But with the breakup of Yugoslavia in the late 1980´s, Serbia lost its share and that part of Macedonia became the independent Republic of Macedonia in 1991. So you can bet the Greeks and Bulgarians "need each other" because very soon they will be facing the Macedonian people, from whom they stole parts of Macedonian territories and who will be wanting them back. You can see at least one reason why Greeks and Bulgarians are consolidating their forces, right?


Both Greece and Bulgaria are new countries artificially spawned in the 19th century by the Great Powers, created from the remnants of the failing Ottoman Empire. Neither deserves the Macedonian territories they were given in 1912, 1913 when they illegally invaded, occupied and partitioned Macedonia by force and without the consent of the Macedonian people. I guess they know that too, that is why they need each other now more than ever not only to fight back against the Macedonians but also to cover up the atrocities they committed against them over the years. "Greece will be a witness for Bulgaria and cover up the misdeeds the Bulgarians have committed against the Macedonians if Bulgaria will be a witness for Greece and cover up its misdeeds and hopefully they both will come out unscathed", so they think!


Greeks, Bulgarians and generally most people of the Balkans are often described by outsiders as people who behave "irrationally". Unfortunately this often quoted "irrational" behaviour has never been explained other than being called a "typical Balkan behaviour". Well there are reasons for such behaviour which usually point to guilt. Macedonians, and by that I mean the "real Macedonians" not the "Greek-Macedonians" or "Bulgarian-Macedonians", do not behave "irrationally" nor do they need to because their conscience is clear.


Macedonians have not stolen other peoples´ lands; they have not committed atrocities and genocide and have not prohibited other people from speaking their language or from freely asserting their national and ethnic sentiments. The Greeks and Bulgarians, on the other hand, have stolen Macedonian lands, have committed atrocities and genocide and have prohibited other people, especially the Macedonians, from expressing their national and ethnic consciousness so they do have many reasons to be nervous about and this nervousness manifests itself in "irrational behaviour" which is obviously noticed by outsiders. When you speak of such "behaviour" please do not include the "real Macedonians" as they already have enough problems to worry about without being labeled neurotic, irrational, obsessed and all the terms used to describe the others.






So if you are like me and find it difficult to believe that "bitter old enemies" can suddenly, out of the blue, become "new best friends" then you are in good company.


So what exactly is the "real reason" for Greeks and Bulgarians coming together in this friendly manner? Is this another "historic friendship of convenience" or what?


Again, I hope I am wrong about this and that this "new Greek-Bulgarian friendship" is genuine because the world can use a lot less violence and more "love" between nations. But as I said before, being the suspicious kind, I don´t believe it to be so. In fact there is a trend nowadays, not only in the Balkans but also in all of Europe, where nations and people are becoming more "nationalistic" and violent so I find it difficult to view this new relationship as "genuine".


One might argue that this new found love between Greeks and Bulgarians is taking place in Canada and has nothing to do with Greece and Bulgaria but let me tell you "nothing" happens anywhere without the approval of "mother Greece" and "mother Bulgaria", especially this "friendship" between the two! And there is more.


I have also noticed that this "love affair" is not limited to Bulgarians and Greeks but extends to other "bitter rivals" the "Grkomani and Bulgaromani" (Macedonians who think they are Greeks or Bulgarians and work against the Macedonian cause).


Macedonians beware of "Grkomani" and "Bulgaromani" bearing gifts which they may have bought with your money. Speaking of money, there is nothing more disgusting than your "worst enemies" pretending to be your best friends, soliciting money from you and then using it against you"! Yes you heard me right!


So again Macedonians, of the "real kind", beware of to whom you donate your money because it potentially could be used against you!


Since the Republic of Macedonia became an independent country in 1991, the world has been watching and taking notice. I expect people will soon be asking "we thought Macedonians did not exist, where did all these Macedonians come from?" What will the Greeks and Bulgarians, who have been speaking for the Macedonians for the last one-hundred years, say then? Tito created them? They are disgruntled Greeks? They are Serbia-nized Bulgarians? And who is going to believe that?


So you can see the reasons why Greeks and Bulgarians need to get together and "get their stories straight" and what better way to do that than to start by being best friends. You don´t have to believe me about this, all you have to do is read your history and you will find much "precedence" for this kind of behaviour between Greeks and Bulgarians, especially when it comes to Macedonia and the non-existent Macedonians!


There is another angle to this, a more sinister angle, which involves Greece and Bulgaria again joining forces to occupy and partition the Republic of Macedonia. They did this in 1912 and 1913 and it worked well for them. Why not do it again?


Greece already claims Macedonia belongs to it and that the Macedonian territories up to ancient Paeonia have always been Greek. Bulgaria has also made similar claims since the San Stefano Treaty was signed, so why not act on those claims? Who is going to stop them?


Think of it this way. What is better for Greece and Bulgaria? (a) Risking being discovered and punished for "stealing" Macedonian lands, committing major atrocities against the Macedonian people and having to pay for all this including giving back all the Macedonian territories to the Macedonian people, or (b) Invading, occupying and annexing the Republic of Macedonia and thus solving the "Macedonian Question" once and for all, or at least until the Macedonian people muster enough strength to again rise up? So you can see (b) an "invasion" may be a better option for them. Isn´t that what the Bishop of Thessaloniki called for? Isn´t that what the Greek Special Forces were chanting during the latest Greek Independence Day parade?


Hey, I am just thinking out loud here! And if you think that this idea falls outside the "realm of possibilities", think again. This is not my idea. It comes directly out of Mitsotakis´s play book. You know ex-Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis, Dora Bakogianys´s father?


Well, I have a better idea, instead of attempting something stupid and risking starting a Third World War, why don´t Greece and Bulgaria admit to stealing Macedonian lands and simply give them back to the Macedonian people? While doing that why not take the punishment they deserve for all the atrocities they both committed against the Macedonian population?


Before I am done here, there is one more thing I want to say, which has some bearing on this Greek and Bulgarian irrational behaviour and it has to do with the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest. I am not talking about the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest everyone knows about, I am talking about "the secret part" of the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest that very few people know about! Yes there is a secret part but that is all I am going to say about it for now.


Does the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest expire in 2013? Some people say yes; but it is yet to be determined! I say "yes" one third of the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest expired in 1991 when the Macedonian people took matters into their own hands and liberated the Serbian occupied part of Macedonia and called it the Republic of Macedonia! Unfortunately Greece and Bulgaria are still in denial about that but sooner or later they too will come to the realization that they too must give up the Macedonian occupied territories they stole from the Macedonian people, just as Serbia did! That´s when the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest will expire in its entirety!


One last thing. Greece is about to be given an economic bailout package by the Europeans and the IMF. Yet in spite of the horrendous amount of money given, there are no conditions attached to Greece to provide human rights for its minorities or to end its phony name dispute with the Republic of Macedonia. Yet the Republic of Macedonia in all earnest is expected to change its name to enter NATO and the EU. By changing its name Macedonia will have to admit that Macedonians don´t exist and Greece and Bulgaria were right all along in saying so. And this ladies and gentlemen is the European way of doing business; done by the same Europe Macedonia wants to join. It makes no sense to me!

Bulgaria Wants Guarantees over Macedonia's New Name

Bulgaria’s President Georgi Parvanov has declared that the adoption of a new name by FYROM must entail guarantees against territorial claims.


Parvanov met Friday with the Plovdiv Mayor Slavcho Atanasov and Petko Atanasov, leader of the newly set up political party VMRO-NIE, to discuss Bulgaria’s position on the Greece-Macedonia name dispute after Greece recently suggested that it approved “Northern Macedonia” as the new name for FYROM.


Petko Atanasov has demanded from the Bulgarian President to define clearly the position of the Bulgarian state with respect to the new name of Macedonia, and to clarify the conditions under which Bulgaria will support Macedonia for its accession to NATO and the EU.


The VMRO-NIE leader has stressed that the Macedonian media and institutions should give up using hate language with respect to Bulgaria, and should stop “falsifying Bulgaria’s history.”


Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov has declared that Bulgaria will welcome the settlement of the 20-year dispute between Greece and FYROM over the name of the latter.


However, he has stated explicitly that the issue has to be settled through a mechanism that did not allow Macedonia to raise subsequent claims for the Bulgarian state.


Parvanov made it clear that he has notified the Greek PM George Papandreou and the Macedonian President George Ivanov about the Bulgarian position that the new name of Macedonia, which is connected with a geographical region, needs to include explicit guarantees for the Bulgarian state.


Both the President and the VMRO-NIE party have expressed their position against the rise of any


radical nationalist movements in Bulgaria.


The Bulgarian party VMRO-BND is considered a descendant of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Organization that fought for the liberation of the regions of Macedonia and Thrace from the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. The VMRO-NIE party was set up in March after a large number of the VMRO-BND members left it, and went ahead for the new structure.


The cause of the rift was a dispute VMRO-BND party congress in October when the Plovdiv Mayor Slavcho Atanasov was beaten for the leadership post by the incumbent Krasimir Karakachanov.


Slavcho Atanasov is believed to become the new leader of the VMRO-NIE party.

3 tons of chicken meat seized at Novo Selo border checkpoint

Customs officers at Novo Selo border checkpoint at the Macedonian – Bulgarian border seized more than 3 tons of chicken meat, Macedonian Utrinski Vesnik and Dnevnik dailies report.
The meat was hidden in a mini-bus driven by a Bulgarian national. The smuggled meat was seized a couple of days ago, when the vehicle tried to cross the border from Macedonia.


The driver said that the mini-bus is empty and showed customs documents to prove it. However, a thorough check-up revealed that the vehicle is divided into two parts, as the bigger one was right behind the driver’s cabin. The driver said that this section of the vehicle is not used as its door is broken and cannot be open.


“In the cabin there was a steel rope and customs officers decided that it is used to open the blocked door. They managed to open the door and found 145 boxes each containing 12 kilos of chicken meat and 172 packages of 7.5 kilos each,” Macedonian customs informed.
According to the customs authorities, the meat comes from Brazil and has been loaded in the Macedonian town of Strumica.


The driver of the vehicle, a Bulgarian national, will be imposed a sanction as provided under the law.

Council of Europe understands Macedonia’s common disposition to manipulate

As far as the registration of OMO Ilinden – PIRIN is concerned, there are attitudes instilled in advance and their victims are the people unfamiliar with the concrete situation, Evgeni Kirilov, a Bulgarian MEP from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, told FOCUS News Agency.
He was asked to comment on the news reports in the Macedonian media after the release of the report by the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg.
“When we discuss the topic with German counterparts, I ask them whether there is an Austrian minority in Germany. So all these issues gradually start getting understanding – in this way it is evident that everything is unfounded. Actually it is quite logical from Bulgarian point of view that Bulgaria does not make claims there is a Bulgarian minority in Macedonia. And more and more people will understand this is just one non-existing problem. It is used in this poorly understood identity our neighbor is talking about,” said Kirilov.
I think the Council of Europe understands the issue of the so-called Macedonian minority is absolutely groundless. Obviously, the Council of Europe understands our Macedonian neighbors’ common disposition to manipulate and the issue is not on the agenda, pointed out Kirilov.

Bulgarian Passports for Macedonians: Debunking Myths

Oliver Vodasov has managed to do something many Macedonians dream of – he has built up a successful career in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, a European Union member state.

Even though Macedonia is not a member of the union, Vodasov can freely work as a lawyer in Bulgaria after having been granted citizenship. For this to happen he had to prove Bulgarian ethnicity.

“I was born in the Macedonian town of Negotino and came to Bulgaria to study law in 1997. It is definitely considered more prestigious to study in Sofia as we have more opportunities to develop here, “ says Mr Vodasov.

He confirms that the bigger part of his colleagues at the university remained in Bulgaria just like him after landing a Bulgarian citizenship.

Oliver Vodasov and his colleagues are one of those, who annoy the Macedonian authorities and have given rise to accusations against the Bulgarian state of a covertly expansionist agenda. He however denies he has been encouraged to apply for Bulgarian citizenship or has done so under pressure.

“Bulgaria is the only place in the world where we, the Macedonians, are not second-hand people,” says he. “Do you think I would have worked as a lawyer if I had migrated to Germany?”

Bulgaria grants citizenship to Macedonians who prove Bulgarian ethnicity. The procedure requires providing their family name and birth certificate and filling in complex paperwork. Under Bulgaria's rules, perhaps two-thirds of of Macedonia's population of two million could be eligible for citizenship.

Tens of thousands have applied and nearly 20,000 have been approved since 2001. Acquiring a Bulgarian passport allows the holder to work in many European countries. Since Bulgarian laws allow dual citizenship, there is no need to renounce one's Macedonian documents.

“Not all Macedonian citizens apply with the aim to come and live in Bulgaria or use it as a gate towards other European Union member states,” saya Rayna Mandzhukova, head of the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, a key unit in the process of getting a citizenship as it issues the certificate for Bulgarian ethnicity.

“It is very easy to obtain a passport. Fees are as low as 300 leva, around 150 euros, and the applicant does not have to be in Bulgaria but can go to a Bulgarian embassy,” Mandzhukova says.

The declaration of Bulgarian origin is the most important document at the agency. Mandzhukova denies claims that there is a let-out based on the presumption that “ethnic Macedonian” means “ethnic Bulgarian”.

“If no documentation is available, the agency can not issue a certificate of nationality,” she says.

First step towards Bulgarian consciousness

To prove Bulgarian origin, it is enough for Macedonian citizens just to declare it.

“To be honest with you, I have no doubts that someone who signs a document, saying that he is of Bulgarian nationality, won't take it as an insult if one day someone calls him Bulgarian,” Mandzhukova admits.

Even though the signature is sufficient documentation for the agency to consider the applicant of Bulgarian ethnicity, Mandzhukova goes further than that.

“I believe that this signature is the first step towards the formation of a Bulgarian consciousness,” she says.

And this is what nationalists see as a surge in Bulgarian consciousness, something that the Macedonian authorities strongly object to. Mandzhukova however denies that the state policy is confrontational.

“It is the right of every person to determine his status, we live in the twenty-first century after all!”

Planned amendments to the law for Bulgarian citizenship, which are expected to be approved soon, aim to uproot a new business that has grown up in rural Macedonia, with middlemen collecting hundreds of euros per person for preparing and submitting applications.

Under the legislative changes, the Bulgarian state is obliged to approve or reject an application for citizenship within one year. Currently applicants have to wait on average four or five years to be granted a Bulgarian citizenship.

“I believe that this deadline will restore the faith in the Bulgarian state,” Mandzhukova says. “Romania is much more liberal to those Moldovans who want to be granted Romanian citizenship. They need this passports to travel in European member states, including Bulgaria. Many members of the Bulgarian community in Moldova are forced to get a Romanian citizenship so that they can come and visit their children in Bulgaria. This is absurd, isn't it?”

Queuing for Bulgarian Passports

Virtually every Macedonian of Slavic origin is eligible to claim a Bulgarian passport.

Petar Kolev, 24, from the town of Stip, is one of the many young Macedonians who come to study in Bulgaria each year, taking advantage of the scholarships that the Bulgarian state offers. While in the 90s the number of candidates for Bulgarian universities stood at 100, this figure snowballed over the next decade to about 800 each year.

Petar has been lining up for Bulgarian citizenship since four years ago and unlike Bulgarian authorities and foreign news agencies says that the procedure is far from easy.

“Those who say the procedure is “ridiculously easy” are people who just observe the process and are not a part of it. I applied for Bulgarian citizenship in 2006 and my application is still somewhere among the different institutions that deal with the issue,” Petar explains.

He will graduate in a year and the failure to get Bulgarian citizenship makes him really nervous as the prospect of going back to Macedonia looms.

“I am not the only one who has to wait for five or six years before being granted a Bulgarian citizen. Sometime the applicants get the thumbs down.”

But in Macedonia suspicions remain. The tortuous history of the Balkans, old territorial claims and accusations of a covertly expansionist agenda have tensed relations between the two countries.

Bulgaria occupied much of Macedonia three times between 1878 and 1913, regarding it as part of an extended nation. In 1999 each nation renounced any claims to the territory of the other, but Bulgaria has still not formally recognized the existence of Macedonian language and culture. Politicians and media have suggested more than once that the Bulgarian state has a hidden goal of an ultimate “reunification”.

“It is only natural that the Bulgarian state takes care of the Bulgarian communities abroad, just as Romania and Hungary do. Nobody has the right to reprimand Bulgaria for the policy it leads regarding the ethnic Bulgarians in Macedonia,” says Mr Vodasov.

The peak in applications for Bulgarian citizenship from Macedonians – about 40,000 - came in 2004, three years before the country joined the European Union. It is too early to say whether the visa-free travels for Macedonians across the European Union will weaken the interest in Bulgarian citizenship.

“It is only a small part of Macedonians who get a Bulgarian passport to go to Europe. Most of them stay here in Bulgaria, others return to Macedonia. There is no reason in saying that Macedonians consider Bulgarian passports as entries to the European Union,” says Mr Vodasov.

“The Macedonian media reports, which say whole regions in Macedonia are threatened with depopulation, are absurd.” he says.

More Security

Macedonians strive to obtain Bulgarian citizenship for a number of reasons – to migrate to Bulgaria, to travel and work freely across the European Union and also due to the faith in the protection that the Bulgarian state can give them.

“I would risk saying that this emotional factor is the most important and most often cited reason,” says Mandzhukova.

She vehemently denies that the real motives are more pragmatic.

“To say that Macedonians obtain Bulgarian citizenship as a passport to Europe is a stereotype that gives a very distorted reflection of the truth,” she says.

According to her the influx of Macedonians to Bulgaria did not increase significantly after the country's accession to the European Union on January 1, 2007.

“The first signs f the hype came much earlier when Bulgarian institutions agreed that the document our agency issues is enough to claim Bulgarian origin. This is when the real increase in applications came due to the streamlining of the process.”

While in Macedonia many Macedonians try to cover the fact that they have signed such a declaration.

“Well, certainly nobody will shout it at the top of his lungs. But first of all if someone considers what the Macedonian authorities think important, he would not sign the declaration in the first place, “ Mandzhukova says.

Does everyone who declares Bulgarian ethnicity really believes in it?

“True, some of them do not believe in it, but they believe that the Bulgarian state can and will protect them when the need occurs.”

She however is not willing to talk on the subject.

“When the need occurs, the first to know about it are the Bulgarian diplomats in Skopje and Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry,” is her concise answer.

The list of those people features Dragi Karov, Spaska Mitrova (pictured below) and a number of others whose involvement in minor accidents has been criminalized “thanks” to their Bulgarian passports.

“It seems that the Macedonians who have a Bulgarian passport feel more secure.”

Emotional Bond

“I chose Sofia because it is more prestigious and because I feel emotionally attached to Bulgaria, “ says Petar and adds, quite self-confidently, that he speaks for most of the Macedonian students here.

For the sake of this emotional bond, which he half-heatedly attributes to the good grasp and belief in the version of history presented in Bulgarian books, many Macedonian students decide to swallow the bitter pill of leading the life of poor students away from their parents and at a place where living standards are three times higher than their birthplace.

Even though study in Bulgaria remains a sensitive subject, Petar Kolev is not afraid to give his name to journalists, saying this has never caused him problems when he goes back to Macedonia.

“Nobody can blame us for wanting to drink water from the source. I don't want anyone to teach me or interpret for me events that happened a hundred years ago,” Petar adds.

Even though Bulgaria was the first state to recognize the independence of the Macedonian state, many Bulgarians think that, deep down, their neighbors, are Bulgarians.

Petar himself confirms that view.

“This is where we feel at home,” he says.

"Suitcase Trade" on Bulgarian border with FYROM increases

The cases of suitcase trade at the Gueshevo checkpoint on the Bulgarian border with FYRMacedonia, has increased, the chief of the customs at the checkpoint, Georgi Vladimirov, told Focus on Friday.

According to him it comes down to small traders who cross several times a day the limit for imported food. The reason is that prices of many goods in Macedonia are still lower.

‘The phenomenon cannot be stopped, as it exists everywhere. It is a time of crisis and everyone seeks a cheaper deal – Bulgarians shop in FYRMacedonia, Greeks shop in Bulgaria, Englishmen shop in France, Italians in Switzerland…’

As long as the imported goods are not in big quantities they cannot be handled by the customs officers. Even so, since the beginning of the year some 180 kilos of chicken legs have been confiscated.

UMD Strongly Condemns Sofia Mayor Borisov´s Plans to "Buy" Macedonia

The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) categorically condemns Sofia mayor Boris Borisov´s recent statements in Chicago advocating an effective "buyout" of Macedonia by Bulgarians to ensure "friendly relations" between the two states. "Such a statement by a leading politician of an EU and NATO member is deeply troubling and reveals a fundamental ignorance of the principles on which both organizations were founded," stated UMD President, Metodija A. Koloski. Plans to effect a "buyout" of Macedonia by Bulgarians violate one of the EU´s most important principles, "promoting respect for the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders." They are tantamount to economic extortion, not unlike the 1995 embargo that Greece imposed on Macedonia to create a "friendly atmosphere" among Macedonians.

UMD regards Mr. Borisov´s reasoning that Bulgaria, through economic and political isolation, will foster "friendly relations" with Macedonians as laughable on its face, if not dangerously mischievous. Although the UMD deplores Mr. Borisov´s remarks, the United Macedonian Diaspora promotes and encourages friendly, positive and mutually productive relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia.

UMD believes that Mr. Borisov´s stated goal of friendly ties would best be achieved not through economic extortion and enforced "bulgarianization" of Macedonia´s economy, but rather through the prompt registration of OMO-Ilinden PIRIN (Political Party of the Macedonian Minority in Bulgaria) as a legitimate political party representing ethnic Macedonians in Bulgaria. "Rather than resort to economic extortion, the Republic of Bulgaria would be well advised to recognize the sizable Macedonian minority in Bulgaria. And rather than ignore the very founding principles of NATO and the EU, the Republic of Bulgaria might even wish to issue a formal apology for the deportation of nearly 9,000 Macedonian Jews to Hitler´s death camps," added Koloski.

Bitola police briefly helds Bulgarian Journalists

Last night Bitola's police briefly booked a TV crew from Bulgaria for filming the Building that houses Bitola's detention center.

The case was confirmed by the Ministry of Interior spokesperson, Ivo Kotevski.

According to Mr. Kotevski, in presence of the Bulgarian consul to Bitola as well as the Police Sector for Foreigners, poloce seized the equipment of the TV crew and ordered them to show what they had filmed.

After the analysis, the Bulgarian TV crew was ordered to erase the material. The journalists had not obtained nor requested a permission to film Macedonian Governmental properties, which is something a foreign journalist must have.

After the filmed material was erased, the police returned their equipment after which the journalists were released.

Athens urges Sofia, Belgrade to change their positions on Macedonia’s constitutional name

Authorities in Athens have been urging Bulgaria and Serbia for a few weeks to change their positions on Macedonia’s constitutional name, the Macedonian A1 television reported.
“Encouraged by Sofia’s most recent positions presented publicly on Macedonia’s history, which according to some politicians there has Bulgarian roots, Athens proposes unreserved support for Bulgaria in Brussels where European funds have already been suspended for Bulgaria,” comments the television.
In exchange for the change in the stance, Athens suggests to Serbia support for its Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as lobbying for Kosovo, which is one of the reasons for Greece not to recognize Kosovo’s independence up to now. For now Athens has a positive answer neither from Sofia, nor from Belgrade. Unlike Serbia, which still awaits the decision of the new government in Skopje about Kosovo recognition, the Bulgarian government has replied that it has no dilemmas as to Macedonia’s constitutional name, the TV channel adds.

Macedonia: Bulgaria Keeps Us Away from EU

Bulgaria pushes Macedonia further away from the European Union.

This is claimed in the Macedonian newspaper ‘Utrinski vesnik'.

Bulgaria will have to face the shame in front of the European Commission despite some values that the misuses with European funds there are not bigger than those, found in Greece few years ago.

It is absolutely sure that Brussels will deprive Bulgaria of 600 million EUR from the pre- joining funds tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the bad news for Bulgaria is a bad news for Macedonia, is written in the article.

The newspaper describes the values of the three reports of the European Commission which will be officially announced tomorrow as he claims that the dictionary, EU uses to point the condition of Bulgaria and the measures, which undertakes are the sharpest, seen even in Brussels, such, that can destabilize the Government in Bulgaria.

The reason, according to ‘Utrinski vesnik' is that there is forming a new attitude by the EU to the newly accepted members of and candidates for membership.

Big part of the resources, the issue continues, which are now shortened in Bulgaria, have been intended for the development of transport infrastructure and energy net, which would bring benefits to the whole region.

Such pressure from EU over Bulgaria, compared to the much more tempered values of the corruption in Romania rises the question what exactly evokes this special treatment by the side of EU to Sofia.

Brussels is especially concerned about the null results in the fight with corruption on the high authority levels and the organized criminality and why the institutions and the undertaken activities sound well on paper, but they completely fail in practice, the article in ‘Utrinski vesnik' continues.

A Week for Greek visa, a month for Bulgarian one

Macedonians are starting to show higher interest in Bulgarian visas than in Greek ones before the start of the summer tourist season, the Macedonian daily Nova Macedonia informed. According to the daily the time needed for issuing a Bulgarian visa is quite longer than the period for a Greek visa.
The daily comments that interviews for a Bulgarian visa are held one month after the submission of documents in Skopje and roughly ten days in the consular section in Bitola, while interviews for a Greek visas are held within a week.

Bulgaria MP: Macedonia Was, and Is Bulgarian

The leader of the VMRO party Krasimir Karakachanov presented in parliament Wednesday a protest declaration regarding the repressive measures against citizens of the Republic of Macedonia who declare themselves Bulgarian.

"A country which does not follow the European standards, and which persecutes its citizens with Bulgarian self-consciousness, has no place in the European Union", the VMRO declaration reads.

MP Karakachanov called upon the key state institutions - the President, the Parliament, and the Council of Ministers - to adopt this position.

Karakachanov said the protest declaration was triggered by the recent case in the Macedonian town of Veles, where the local police filed a suit against the Bulgarian citizen Dragi Karev for building in his own yard a bust of Todor Alexandrov, a famous Bulgarian revolutionary hero from Macedonia.

"In the recent months the treatment of Macedonian citizens, which declare themselves Bulgarian, is taking very ugly and antidemocratic forms", the declaration concludes.

Karakachanov ended his speech with the words: "Maceonian was and is Bulgarian, long live Bulgaria".

The VMRO political party that he chairs is the successor of the Internal Macedonian and Thracian Revolutionary Organization, founded in 1893.

Anti-Bulgarian graffiti scrawled on consulate fence in Bitola

Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to decide about its response to anti-Bulgarian graffiti that were scrawled on the fence of Bulgarian consulate in Bitola.

"The consulate waits for decision of the Foreign Ministry in Sofia," Bulgarian Consul Ilian Karamanov told Makfax news agency.

The case makes the headlines in Bulgarian media on Wednesday. The media say this is the first incident since the opening of Bulgarian consular office in Bitola.

Local police suspect that the graffiti - "Tatars, go away", written with a white chock on the consulates' fence, was probably scrawled by a high school teenager.

The consulate is located near Josip Broz Tito High School.

Bulgarian embassy in Skopje maltreats Macedonians

Skopje. After all what has been achieved for the last 17 years, since Bulgaria recognized the independence of Macedonia and started working for the building of real neighbor relations, now everything is collapsing, the Macedonian daily Vecer reports, citing Bulgarian media.
Bulgaria is voluntarily giving up everything, achieved so far and the leading role for this belomgs to the Bulgarian embassy in Skopje.
According to the daily, the main weapon, that the Bulgarian Ambassador Miho Mihov has were the visas. Apart from having to wait for 60 days to obtain a visa, the Macedonians had to receive invitation from a relative, or company in Bulgaria and to prove that they have at least EUR 60 for each day of their stay in Bulgaria.