SkopjeDiem Macedonia in English
The PM Zoran Zaev said that Macedonia will issue an official reaction to the recent conclusion of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Arts (BAN) that Macedonian language does not exist and that the people in Macedonia speak a regional variety of Bulgarian language. “We shall react, because this is a matter that is covered by the Good-neighbourliness Agreement signed between North Macedonia and Bulgaria. The Agreement was created and signed in accordance with the Constitutions of both countries, which means that Bulgaria is yet to recognise the existence of the Macedonian language, an issue to be resolved as predicted by the Agreement itself. The majority of the population of our country is Macedonian speaking Macedonian language, and I hope Bulgaria will soon overcome internal issues and recognise the existence of Macedonian as a language separate from the Bulgarian,” Zaev said. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Dimitrov reacted via Facebook to the latest announcement of BAN. “In the 21st century in Europe, the right of self-determination is undisputable. The Macedonian language is part of the South-Slavic language family, and was codified in May 1945, and recognised by the United Nations since the 1970s. The process of Good-neighbourliness between North Macedonia and Bulgaria cannot be successful without wisdom and cautiousness form both sides. It is easy to destroy something, but very hard to build it up again,” Dimitrov writes on Facebook.
