Suggestions that a partitioning of Macedonia between Bulgaria and Albania is allegedly being discussed are "extremely irresponsible", Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said on Wednesday.

Speaking in the Council of the Federation, the upper house of the Russian Parliament, Lavrov said earlier on Wednesday that “ideas have been floated as to why not dismember it [Macedonia] and give a part of it to Albania and another part to Bulgaria”, according to TASS.

“The mishaps, through which the Republic of Macedonia went on the way to establishing and consolidating its independence and sovereignty, are well known to everyone,” Mitov said in a statement.

“All that time Bulgaria has been the country that provided the biggest support for the independence of the Republic of Macedonia and became a guarantor of its territorial integrity,” he added.

Bulgaria was the first country to recognize Macedonia’s independence, Mitov said, and this decision has been key to stability in Southeastern Europe.

He described as “inadmissible” the attempts to call into question the European order in the region and the territorial integrity of Bulgaria’s southwestern neighbour.

“The stability of all countries of Southeastern Europe is of paramount importance to us. Attempts of countries outside the region to undermine its stability through such suggestions must be ended. There can be no doubt that Bulgaria will remain a guarantor of the independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Macedonia,” said Mitov.