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

The week starts with hot weather and precipitation in some places

On Monday before noon it will be mostly sunny, but later clouds will form and in the western and mountainous regions rainfalls are expected. The highest temperatures will be between 29° and 34°C; higher in the southeastern regions...

published on 6/8/25 6:05 PM

Rumen Radev says the government should stop lying about BOTAŞ

The government is neither fully using this contract to satisfy domestic consumption, nor selling to third parties through its capacity, nor renegotiating, President Rumen Radev told journalists in response to a question from BNR..

published on 6/8/25 3:16 PM

Protest of Vazrazhdane party in support of the Bulgarian lev

Citizens gathered in the so-called triangle of power in Sofia, demanding the resignation of the government and keeping the Bulgarian lev, BNR reporters Nikolay Hristov and Svetoslava Kuzmanova informed. The protest was organized by..

published on 6/8/25 2:35 PM