VMRO-DPMNE’s Nikoloski Criticises Bulgaria’s Radev and Iotova

At the Council of Europe, VMRO-DPMNE’s Aleksandar Nikoloski once again levelled accusations at Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Vice President Iliana Iotova.

“Radev and Iotova use the membership of Bulgaria in the European Union in order to impose a veto on Macedonia, asking Macedonians to change their history, language, and culture in order to start accession talks. At the same time, they do not give any human rights to Macedonians who live in Bulgaria and they deprive them of self-identification, use of the mother tongue, as well as of the right to education and assembly.

In the last months they have gone a step further, asking Macedonians in Albania to change their identity from Macedonian to Bulgarian. In Albania, there have never been Bulgarians, whereas Macedonians have lived there for centuries, but Bulgaria is blackmailing Albania with its progress towards the European Union, asking them to impose a new identity on their citizens.

You will agree this is not a European value. This is far-right extremism and ideology that is happening in the 21st century and that is why we should fight,” he stated.