Bulgarian MPs deny illegal entry, say they were in Greece; Bitola court issued entry ban on 8 August

Two Bulgarian members of parliament from the far-right Revival (Vazrazhdane) party have denied that they crossed into North Macedonia illegally, saying on the Facebook profile B2 that they were in Greece at the time the court ruling refers to. The statements come after a Bitola Basic Court judgment of 8 August last year that imposed entry bans on members of a 27-person group for illegally crossing the Macedonian–Greek border.

According to the MPs, Krsto Vrachev and Angel Georgiev, the June incident cited in the court case took place on Greek territory and therefore did not constitute an illegal entry into North Macedonia. They say the court’s account does not reflect their version of events.

In the same Facebook post they wrote: "Angel Georgiev said that his two-year ban had already expired, while Krsto Vrachev claims he never had a ban on entering North Macedonia."

Appearance at a Kočani hearing despite the ban

Sources report that, despite the earlier court decision and the bans, Vrachev and Georgiev were present in a courtroom in Kočani last week during a hearing in a traffic-fatality case. The two MPs sat in the public gallery while the proceedings took place.

Several web portals with .mk domains republished the MPs' denials. Independent analysis of those sites indicates many are registered in North Macedonia but operate from addresses in Bulgaria and share identical content patterns; the analysis also connects them to Vikto Stojanov, a figure known for promoting anti‑Macedonian views and denying the Macedonian language.

The two politicians remain listed as representatives of Revival (Vazrazhdane). The court ruling of 8 August last year specified that members of the 27‑person group received a one‑year ban on entering North Macedonia after the illegal border crossing charge. Report: Miomir Serafinovic

Photo: press material from the event