To the beat of a turtle: the Bulgarian-Macedonian commission registered a new zero

Zero. This is the result of another meeting of the joint Bulgarian-Macedonian historical commission, which must clarify the issues in dispute between the two countries.

His co-chair from the Bulgarian side, Professor Angel Dimitrov, said the commission was moving at a snail’s pace and had not achieved any results.

His colleague, Professor Dragi Georgiev, also acknowledged that no progress had been made.

“Today’s meeting took place in an academic setting, with a multi-level discussion to no avail.”, Georgiev was quoted by BGNES.

“By blocking the signing of the minutes of the meetings of the last two meetings, the work of the commission is questioned. Without a document that clearly expresses what discussions were held and what decisions were made, things are uncertain. This shows a reluctance to work -intensive and efficient “, Professor Dimitrov said for his part.

However, Dragi Georgiev explained that the reason for not signing the minutes of the ninth and tenth meeting was the attitude of the Bulgarian side towards the Macedonian “adjective”.

“The relations between Bulgaria and Macedonia should not be held hostage to historical issues. We will continue to speak and we will not interrupt the dialogue, because this is the only way to overcome the problems. The politicization of history will not bring any results,” he added. Professor Georgiev said.

In recent weeks, Macedonian rulers have announced that they are willing to step up dispute resolution to lift Bulgaria’s blockade of Skopje’s path to the European Union (EU), but problems with common history persist.

“I really want that next year, if we work hard, we really do what is expected of us due to the signed Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborhood”, Dimitrov said.

According to him, the commission is far from completing the work on the textbooks for the seventh grade in RS Macedonia, dealing with the subject of the Middle Ages. Arguments on the point about Tsar Samuel are absolutely fruitless, Dimitrov believes.

“We are moving at a snail’s pace”, Angel Dimitrov concluded.

The commission failed to reach agreement on the Middle Ages and the historical figure of Gotse Delchev. Representatives of North Macedonia on the commission have also begun to challenge the earlier compromise reached by Tsar Samuel as the Bulgarian ruler. The period of the Second World War is yet to come, which is shaping up to be the most controversial.

Bulgaria, for its part, insists that even the few results achieved with its work be reflected in textbooks, but so far this is not happening.

Dimitrov said the commission was still discussing the issue of Tsar Samuel and the end of the First Bulgarian State, the fourth issue of 14 to be discussed. Discussions about the character of King Samuel’s estate were unsuccessful.

The Macedonian part insists on a multiple perspective, while the Bulgarian part insists on historical sources.

“We have a qualitatively different approach to interpreting the past and more precisely for the end of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. There is a common language: respect for historical sources. All sources speak of a Bulgarian state, a Bulgarian king like Samuel. There is written and epigraphic monuments “. ,, pointed out Professor Dimitrov.

“We have not had any discussion about Gotse Delchev at all. RS Macedonia as a society and science has not yet made a critical analysis of its past. This is a necessary step to join a new organization like the European Union,” he added. added.

The Commission was formed in application of the Neighborhood Agreement between the two countries in 2017, but cannot achieve the results expected from Sofia.