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

Council of Ministers approves Programme for Support of Bulgarian Communities for 2025

On Wednesday, the Council of Ministers adopted the Programme for the Support of Bulgarian Communities, Organisations and Media Abroad for 2025. Approximately €90,000 was approved from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' budget for this purpose . The..

published on 7/16/25 3:56 PM

"Alpha Research": Ruling Coalition Losing Ground

A new poll by the sociological agency Alpha Research indicates a continued decline in public support for Bulgaria’s ruling coalition . Positive assessments have dropped from 39% in January to just 26% in July, while negative opinions have risen from 29%..

published on 7/16/25 2:07 PM

Orange code for dangerous precipitation issued for 11 Bulgarian districts, yellow code is in place for another 12 districts

On Thursday, the lowest temperatures will range from 14°C to 22°C, for Sofia 14°C.   A cold atmospheric front will pass through the country during the day, bringing short-term showers, thunderstorms and hail in many places. The northwesterly wind..

published on 7/16/25 6:45 PM