Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Vessela Tcherneva on tensions between Bulgaria and North Macedonia: An escalation of this kind emerges when elections are in the offing

Vessela Tcherneva
Photo: BGNES

“There is a mechanism for bringing down tension between Bulgaria and North Macedonia and for identifying the acts of hate. It is clearly defined in a protocol between the foreign ministries of the two countries from 2022 but it is not being applied,” Vessela Tcherneva, advisor to former PM Kiril Petkov stated in an interview with the BNR.

In the words of Vessela Tcherneva, the exacerbation of bilateral tensions additionally is affecting the lives of Macedonian Bulgarians adversely. She described the fact that the Bulgarian ambassador has been summoned back from Skopje as an “ill-advised gesture” which undermines the weight Bulgaria carries within the EU.

“An escalation of this kind invariably emerges when elections are in the offing,” she said, adding there were parties on either side of the border which are taking advantage of the tension to boost their approval ratings.


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Prosecutor General Sarafov asks Parliament to lift the immunity of four MPs from Vazrazhdane

Acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov submitted a proposal to the National Assembly to strip the immunity from four MPs from "Vazrazhdane" due to acts of vandalism during the protest in front of the European Commission building in Sofia. These..

published on 2/28/25 8:50 AM

Bulgaria marks international Rare Disease Day

At the initiative of the European Union of Patient Organizations for the Fight against Rare Diseases, on the last day of February, we focus on people living with a rare disease. Awareness campaigns are organized to raise public awareness of this issue...

published on 2/28/25 6:15 AM
There will be fog in the lowlands.

Friday will be overcast with showers

Friday will be mostly cloudy. Fog will cover the lowlands before midday. It will rain in some places, especially in southern Bulgaria. Minimum temperatures will be between 0 and 5°C, 2°C in Sofia, and maximum between 6 and 11°C, up to 17°C in the..

published on 2/27/25 7:55 PM