Macedonian historian resigns from Joint Commission with Bulgaria over “political pressure”
The Macedonian professor has resigned from the Joint Multidisciplinary Expert Commission on Historical and Educational Issues in the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Skopje’s Channel 5 television reported.
In front of the media, Professor Vancho Georgiev considers as a motive for his decision that the commission was subjected to strong political pressure from the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that without his consent a change in the history textbook was adopted in the section on Tsar Samuel.
“Recently, there have been attempts to exert political influence on the work of the Commission, it will be the culmination of the first working day (October 21, 2021) of the XV regular meeting during direct intervention in the professional work of a senior official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs works (in Northern Macedonia) “, Gerogiev writes.
Show him “the Macedonian part of the Commission will deviate from the established principles of consensus decision-making on all issues, whereby the agreement reached at the coordination meeting on 20.10.2021 was not respected.”
Georgiev emphasizes that “the projects-ideas prepared and exchanged, accepted and exchanged yesterday by the Macedonian part of the Commission for excellent textbooks for 7th grade in the Macedonian textbooks are without my consent.”
According to him, “the opinions demonstrated at the last meeting of the other members of the Macedonian part of the Commission not only contradict the resolution of the Macedonian Parliament adopted on July 29, 2021, which includes red lines in the negotiations between the Republic of Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria, but also of Macedonian national interests “.
Georgiev called on the members of the Commission, who from time to time share similar views and values with men, not to “bend their backs”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has never had pressure on the content of the talks and the decisions taken by the members of the Commission on Historical and Educational Issues in Bulgaria. This statement on the occasion of the allegations of Georgiev Macedonian Foreign Minister Buyar Osmani, a citizen of BGNES.
Regarding the accusations of pressure, the minister said that the foreign ministry is the coordinator and leaders of the talks in Bulgaria, and that it is the competent institution for the implementation of the 2017 agreement. This refers to the work of the commission on historical and educational issues, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports its logistical work also due to the meeting, which is held in the building of the Ministry.
The chairman of the Macedonian part of the commission, Dragi Georgiev, confirmed the departure of one of the members, but said the commission’s work continues.