Bulgaria has apparently begun to realize that the previous strategy of imposing the Bulgarian narrative on the reading of history is not bearing fruit. Expected for us, but also for EU member countries, and this was an unexpected surprise for Sofia.
Author: Katerina Topallova
Iam Vidimus or in a rough translation from the Latin – “already seen” is gentle – an ironic phrase that refers to an insufficient and well-thought-out action, which initiates the maintenance of some kind of strained relationship between two “warring” parties, in the form of some justification. And all this in the absence of maturity that would offer a solution to overcome misunderstandings. In our context, the use of this short phrase fits as a description for the strained Macedonian-Bulgarian relations, the essence of which is very well known, with a changing form and with new players, in a game “already seen!”
The historical narrative of the Republic of Bulgaria, which denies the existence of Macedonian identity before 1944, as well as the political interpretation that the basis of the Macedonian language is Bulgarian, has remained misunderstood by European institutions. And so, the well-tested tactic came into play, but fortunately the “already seen”, I must confirm, minority rights or in our vocabulary “invisible” discrimination against Macedonian Bulgarians by the authorities in Skopje. But why is all this happening? And what is the ultimate goal of such a game?
Bulgaria has apparently begun to realize that the previous strategy of imposing the Bulgarian narrative on the reading of history is not bearing fruit. Expected here, but also among EU member states, which was an unexpected surprise for Sofia. So, in the first place, all the turbulent games of Bulgarian politics came to the surface, from the opening of clubs with controversial and contentious names, physical confrontations, through incidents initiated for celebrations, to the sending of complaint caravans of Bulgarian associations to Macedonia through European institutions. And all this with a single goal, to successfully sell the story of alleged discrimination against the Bulgarian minority in Macedonia. And the result of such a dirty policy is to make new pressures and new concessions to the official Sofia.
Of course, this whole Bulgarian campaign came to naught… The decision of the Committee of Ministers in the Council of Europe, assessed Bulgaria’s claims of alleged institutional hatred and systematic discrimination of the Bulgarian minority in Macedonia as baseless. Correspondingly, when the first people of the Bulgarian associations in Macedonia were asked where they see the discrimination against them, about which they constantly complain, they answer “you are neither my priest nor my psychiatrist!” to tell you about their problems. And in case you still insist on some kind of answer to such accusations, then immediately follows a tale about an unknown princess who lives far away in an unknown and nameless land, behind so many hills and valleys, which cannot register or get a job in certain institutions, because her family was Bulgarian?!
For the ultimate irony, if you insist on finding the supposed princess to speak on the issue of discrimination, you will get the answer that the princess cannot speak on camera because she was deaf and dumb! This is how the fight with windmills looks, especially when the opponent who “sows wind and fog” in the Macedonian air for alleged discrimination on ethnic grounds, as a Macedonian Bulgarian, was in very high state functions and positions, part of the Macedonian government and parliament.
Although the European Union is aware of all these things, nevertheless, in order to satisfy the member states, it insists on the request that the Bulgarians be included in the Macedonian constitution. Somehow to offer a solution to Sofia. And in such a situation, pending the registration of Bulgarian clubs in the country, what can we expect in the following period?
The lack of a strategy and vision for this kind of “already seen” political propaganda doctrine, and what else will cause great pain for Macedonian political entities in the future, given the fact that we cannot learn from history – how to We are exactly opposed to such maneuvers and attacks, it seems that it will result in a “reasonable compromise”, which will hit both the government and the opposition on the head.