“15,237 Macedonians have been evacuated because of the coronavirus epidemic and have returned to their country in the period until 5 June with the help of Bulgarian diplomacy,” said a high-ranking official from the foreign ministry in Skopje for BGNES news agency.

7,523 Macedonians returned home in the 14 March - 15 April period via Sofia Airport alone. When the borders were closed and thousands of Macedonians were blocked at airports, train stations and borders in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and America, there have been instances when officials from Skopje have telephoned Bulgarian consuls in the middle of the night. The people “rescued” include the daughter of a current cabinet minister, friends and relatives of opposition MPs and of prominent public figures.

The diplomat expressed gratitude for the 24-hour help rendered by the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, the health authorities and border police and described it as “brotherly”.