Hristijan Mickoski: Iva Mihailova and her parent will answer eventually, Interior Ministry investigating
Mickoski denies Bulgarian media claims about a lawful border crossing and says the Interior Ministry is investigating an alleged illegal transfer.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said that both the parent and Iva Mihailova will eventually face accountability, speaking at a government press conference held on the sidelines of a new investment announcement by the company Kromberg & Schubert.
“If someone thinks that in this way they have secured some protection, in a way that tries to undermine the neighbourly relations between the two states. I regret that the political leadership in Bulgaria is trying in this way to show political muscles, and does not understand the damage it is doing to itself on the international stage. But that is their choice, they have chosen such a policy. I regret that instead of returning here a person with a final conviction to serve their sentence, they make of them a variety show star and a clown and I regret that a young woman who gained most of her life and education in her homeland Macedonia has decided to be what she is presenting today to our eastern neighbour,” Mickoski said.
PM denies regular-border crossing claim
Mickoski also rejected reports in Bulgarian media that Mihailova and her lawyer crossed at an official border checkpoint. He said those accounts were false and repeated the government’s version of events.
“That is a lie. That is first. Secondly, the last entry record that we have, which was also confirmed by the Bulgarian side, shows that the lawyer entered on 28 September, and it is not true what was being claimed. Although this is a person with a questionable past, I want the public to know these facts. I can also confirm that she was transferred to Bulgaria in an illegal manner, we are investigating, the Ministry of Interior is investigating and we will come to findings about how she was taken,” Mickoski added.
The prime minister made the statements while presenting the new investment project; authorities say the Interior Ministry is pursuing inquiries to establish how Mihailova left the country. The government has not released further operational details while the investigation continues.
Photo: press material from the event
