Bulgarian MEP Andrey Kovatchev has stated that he is concerned by the attack on Skopje Mayor Danela Arsovska, “a Bulgarian citizen”.
“I call on the Foreign Ministry and Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje to immediately provide legal, consular, and moral protection for her”, he said on social media on Friday.
As he pointed out, the attack is yet another case of violence, ill-treatment, and public verbal lynching of Bulgarian citizens who hold high public office in North Macedonia and obtained Bulgarian citizenship only on proven Bulgarian descent, “only because they dared to declare they are Bulgarian”.
Unfortunately, the MEP stressed, the pressure is so strong that Bulgarians in North Macedonia are forced to hide or deny Bulgarian identity.
“Recently, there was a similar case involving Energy Minister Sanja Bozinovska, several MPs of the ruling party, [VMRO-]DPMNE, as well as people from the narrowest family circle of the current, previous, and preceding PMs”, Kovatchev added.
The MEP also said the Bulgarian state had a duty to protect the rights, human dignity, and safety of the “over 216,000 Bulgarian citizens” in North Macedonia.