Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski accused Bulgaria of attempting to portray the people of North Macedonia as an “artificial nation,” BGNES reported. According to him, this effort is not new and is part of a long-standing agenda backed by elements within Bulgarian politics.

He specifically criticized Bulgarian MEPs affiliated with GERB, accusing them of trying to insert the word “current” before the term “Macedonian identity” in a European Parliament report. Mickoski argued that such terminology implies that the Macedonian identity is a recent and artificial construct. “This doesn’t come as a surprise to us,” he said, pointing to decisions made by the previous government under Bujar Osmani and Dimitar Kovachevski. Mickoski insisted that these developments confirm his long-standing warnings about the existence of a coordinated attempt to undermine the Macedonian nationhood.

He also called on European institutions to take a stand. “I expect Europe to give a concrete answer and correct the historical injustice towards us,” Mickoski stated, stressing that the issue goes beyond bilateral disputes and requires a principled European response.

Looking ahead to the presentation of the EU progress report on North Macedonia, which will be delivered by rapporteur Thomas Weitz on Wednesday in the European Parliament, Mickoski warned that the damage had already been done. However, he expressed some confidence that the intentions behind Bulgaria’s moves were recognized. “Anyone who thinks differently is either politically illiterate or is consciously manipulating citizens,” he concluded.