Ministry summons Bulgarian embassy representative over statements by Demerdzhiev and Radukov

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade summoned a representative of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Skopje after recent public comments by Bulgarian officials were judged to cross diplomatic lines.

At the meeting, the ministry expressed displeasure with a statement by Bulgaria's Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev regarding the case of Iva Mihajlova, calling the remark insulting and provocative. Officials also said they were concerned by comments made to Bulgarian television by Zhelyazko Radukov, who, in the absence of the ambassador, is serving as chargé d'affaires, describing those comments as direct interference in North Macedonia’s internal affairs.

Skopje warns of possible institutional reaction

Ministry representatives told the embassy official that such interventions push bilateral dialogue away from the framework in which good‑neighbourly relations should develop — namely mutual respect, restraint and constructive communication.

The ministry further indicated that the conduct in question could prompt a corresponding institutional response in line with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which sets out the limits of diplomatic action and the principle of non‑interference in the receiving state's internal affairs.

“From our side it was specifically stressed that such provocations move the bilateral dialogue away from the framework in which good‑neighbourly relations should develop, based on mutual respect, restraint and constructive communication,” the ministry said. “At the end of the meeting our commitment to the development of good‑neighbourly relations, based on mutual respect, trust and European principles, was once again emphasized, and we expect the same commitment and responsibility from the Bulgarian side.”

Photo: press material from the event