North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski has announced that a démarche will be issued to the Bulgarian ambassador due to Bulgaria's alleged violation of diplomatic norms. This reaction follows the absence of the Macedonian flag in a photo released by the Bulgarian presidential administration after a meeting between Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and North Macedonia's President Gordana Siljanovska.

Mickoski expressed strong dissatisfaction, stating that Bulgaria had "crossed the red lines" and accusing Sofia of showing more interest in asserting dominance rather than engaging in constructive diplomacy. He criticized Bulgaria’s actions as humiliating and insisted that North Macedonia will no longer tolerate such treatment, asserting that diplomacy should be a two-way street.

The controversy began when Siljanovska’s office released a photo from the meeting that included only the Bulgarian and European Union flags, leading to accusations of a diplomatic snub. Mickoski noted that the North Macedonian delegation refrained from reacting immediately due to the tragic plane crash involving Bulgarian pilots, which was a significant national concern.

In response to the incident, the opposition party SDSM labeled the diplomatic fallout as a failure of VMRO-DPMNE and Siljanovska's administration, accusing them of lacking the capacity for effective international diplomacy. They also criticized the Macedonian government for its handling of the situation, suggesting that their response was an inadequate attempt to cover up political ineptitude.

Following the incident, Siljanovska's office announced plans to demand an explanation from Bulgaria, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in Skopje is set to summon Bulgarian Ambassador Zhelyazko Radukov for a discussion.

President Siljanovska's visit to Sofia on September 13 was officially to attend a performance of the opera "Nabucco" by the National Opera and Ballet of North Macedonia. President Radev acknowledged that the visit was not a state or working visit but hoped for an official state visit in the near future to be conducted with all necessary formalities. He also received an invitation to visit North Macedonia, indicating a desire for continued diplomatic engagement.

The last official visit between the two countries' presidents occurred in 2022 when North Macedonia's President Stevo Pendarovski visited Bulgaria for a two-day official trip.