Georgi Pashkulev: By Standing for Historical Truth, Bulgaria is Protecting the EU against Unfriendly Forces

The struggle to protect the facts of the history is not the one led for in the name of protecting historical justice. These facts are unquestionably speaking the truth about Bulgarian history however this battle is for the future of the European Union and the West, thus they won’t become a subject of hostile attacks. Because in the event of an another crisis, which could happen in 20 years, antagonistic forces might take an advantage of unresolved historical problems that are today shaping the European dialogue and may exert pressure over the concept of united Europe.

The historical dispute between Sofia and Skopje is primarily a geopolitical dispute. If we agree and leave the anti-historical interpretation of the pre-1945 event that the Macedonian nationalists are trying to impose, it means committing the greatest betrayal of the European idea. The Memorandum of Bulgaria, which we handed over to our partners and allies at the EU, is not a result of some kind of primitive nationalism or a consequence of the domestic political situation in our country. This is a European position of an EU member state that wants peace in the Balkans, and is not pursuing a strategy of igniting another round of bloody conflicts. We have all experienced the consequences of the militant nationalism that tore Yugoslavia apart. Undoubtedly the position of the Bulgarian government is provoked by its patriotic sentiment, however this sentiment won’t drag us into a spiral that would bring us craving about Greater Serbia, or passionately defending Yugoslav chauvinism that led to the genocide in Srebrenitsa in 1995 - the biggest war crime in Europe since World War II. Bulgaria and its institutions - Government, Foreign Ministry and its members of the European Parliament - does not deny the existence of a modern Macedonian identity. Despite what the Macedonian nationalists are trying to falsely insinuate on our partners and allies in Washington, Brussels and Berlin. Bulgaria would never commit a crime, similar to which the Macedonian nationalists and their masters committed with "fire and sword" in 1945. Bulgaria is a vocal proponent of European values and is looking to engrave those into the Balkan political narrative. The issue of Macedonian identity has been resolved by our bilateral documents. Nevertheless Skopje continues to insist on reproducing a lie only to masque a geopolitical falsifications from haunts them in their dreams. Recently we have witnessed an unprecedented anti-Bulgarian, ie. anti-European campaign, with the sole aim of discrediting Sofia, marginalizing its voice in the EU and, as a result, carrying out a false replacement, bringing a foreign geopolitical project to the heart of Europe, which will aim at key moments to work against Europe’s interests. A series of similar articles published in respected media in Slovenia, Austria, Russia compel the erroneous - thesis suggesting that Bulgaria tries to prevent the start of negotiations between the Republic of Northern Macedonia and the EU, and while denying Macedonian identity Bulgaria is in fact solving internal political issues. An obvious specultion. Such allegations conceal the fact that the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, signed by the Prime Ministers of the two countries Zoran Zaev and Boyko Borissov on August 2, 2017, has not been implemented for the past 3 years by the Macedonian nationalists in Skopje. The joint Bulgarian-Macedonian commission which has been established to debate and resolve pending historical issues has not been working for more than a year, as a result of an ostensible excuse invented by the Macedonian nationalists that elections are being held in their country. There is even a refusal to sign the minutes of the last meeting in November 2019. The work of this Commission stems from the Treaty, which, according to the unanimous assessment of the West, was the first step to pull Republic of North Macedonia out of its isolation, in which it was dragged by Nikola Gruevski's authoritarian government of Macedonian nationalism. The Treaty has opened the prospects of an Euro-Atlantic perspective in front of the North Macedonian political establishment. Contemporary Macedonian nationalism is a geopolitical project created by Serbian diplomat Stojan Novakovic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It had a successful premiere in Tsarist Russia, which adopted it for its own needs, but was fully realized later by dictators Stalin and Tito. This is the key to comprehend the problem which we are all today both Bulgaria and its European allies are now dealing with. It is also important to fully asses the dimensions of this story. The so-called "historical questions" posed by Sofia are not some kind of nationalist whims aimed at satisfying the current ambitions of the Bulgarian authorities, as strategists in Moscow and Belgrade are trying to portray. By resolving controversial issues that stemps from the past, Sofia is trying to protect the EU and its allies in Washington from further inconveniences which would inevitably arise if we include a well-disguised foreign product in our Euro-Atlantic family. Its aim is to create a smoldering conflict that will erupt in a possible future crisis, which the EU (and the world) may face in 10 to 20 years. Then the unresolved issues today will be used by hostile forces - China, Russia, and why not Turkey /or all of them at once, or some combination of two of them. Therefore we must now in timely manner impede indefinitely all the root of the Russian-Serbian inspired conception of new Macedonian national identity, rooted in anti-Bulgarian fundamentals, which is poisoning the Balkans and Europe. The way to achieve this lays through, the elimination of the controversial interpretation of history from which Macedonian nationalism draws its strength. Bulgaria understands this well, because we have been victims for 100 years and now with our experience we aim at protecting common European values. Our goal, isnreflected in the Memorandum of Bulgaria, and is based on historical documents about the events and processes of the recent history. It does not aim at blocking Republic of Norht Macedonia from joining the EU, just as we do not aim humiliating and acting with hostility toward Serbs and Russians. Our only goal is to resolve a Balkan problem in the spirit of Europe. /BGNES ---------- Georgi Pashkulev, editor-in-chief of BGNES