Bulgaria’s Ambassador to North Macedonia Zhelyazko Radukov refused to accept the protest note regarding the absence of North Macedonia’s flag at the meeting between the presidents of Bulgaria and North Macedonia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Republic of North Macedonia said. It told "Sitel" that this was a serious diplomatic blunder and that the note of protest would be sent to Ambassador Radukov through diplomatic channels, according to BGNES. The Bulgarian diplomat told the same media outlet that he was not handed a protest note during the meeting with the director of the Regional Initiatives Directorate at North Macedonia’s Foreign Ministry. According to him, there was no provocation from the Bulgarian side and the meeting between the two presidents was informal, with no breach of protocol.

In its official statement, North Macedonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also accused the Co-Chairman of the joint Bulgaria-North Macedonia Commission on Historical and Educational Issues, Angel Dimitrov, of making "political statements". Speaking to the national television MRT1, Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski noted that he had noticed the absence of North Macedonia’s flag during the meeting between the two presidents, but ''we decided, due to the specificity of the moment, to react there in such a way as it was reacted".

President Gordana Siljanovska also explained that she was confused about where the photo with her Bulgarian counterpart would take place, "but did not stop the meeting to avoid causing a scandal", reported BTA.

• President Radev explains the absence of the Macedonian flag at his meeting with the president of North Macedonia