Bulgaria – Macedonia joint commission on historical and educational issues holds first meeting
The joint commission of scholars from Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia has held its first meeting, with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva calling on participants to establish a spirit of trust “and even have arguments”.
The commission flows from the ratification by the two countries of their bilateral treaty of good-neighbourliness.
The commission is intended to come up with an objective interpretation of historical events and how they are narrated in the textbooks of the two countries. It is required to present an annual report to the two governments on its work.
Zaharieva called on the commission to follow not only the letter of the good-neighbourliness treaty but also its spirit, a Bulgarian Foreign Ministry statement said on July 3.
She said that during her regular visits to Macedonia, she felt the desire of people on both sides of the border to communicate and to celebrate together events of historical signficance.
Zaharieva praised the positive spirit in the region that had led to the resolution of the “Macedonia” name dispute, the demarcation of the Kosovo-Montenegro border, the continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and the decision adopted by the European Council regarding Albania and the Republic of Macedonia.
