The Bulgarian Technical Minister for Foreign Affairs Nikolai Milkov does not agree with the president's position Stevo Pendarovski that the case with Christian Pendikov is used for internal political purposes in Bulgaria and says that it is inexplicable for him to think so, and that the topic of relations with Bulgaria is a matter of internal debates in North Macedonia.

In guest appearance on BTV, Milkov said that Bulgaria has largely built an internal consensus on how to develop relations with the neighboring country. And, according to him, it will not be part of the election campaign, at least not to such an extent as it is happening in North Macedonia, where relations with Bulgaria are one of the sharpest issues on which the opposition and the government oppose each other.

"I do not rule out that there will be something in the election campaign, but I repeat: we have a consensus and our strength lies in it", said Milkov.

He thanked the minister Bujar Osmani about Sofia's and Pendikov's visit to the hospital, but said that Osmani tried to relativize the matter and share the responsibility with the statement that on both sides of the border incidents and hate speech, etc. should stop. In short, he adds, it is an admission that the case was a hate incident.

Milkov says that it is okay to wait for what the investigation of the Pendikov case will show, but the problem is that the experience in Bulgaria showed that offenses of this nature in Macedonia remained unpunished or uninvestigated, mentioning the incidents with the clubs.

He also noted that no one from the Macedonian side dealt with the threats that Pendikov received on social networks. Milkov informed that Pendikov will remain in Bulgaria for the time being, until it is concluded that it is not dangerous for him to return to North Macedonia. When there was assurance that it was safe, he would return to the country.

"We have a dilemma facing many people. They should either be silenced in North Macedonia and not engage in their activities as members of Bulgarian clubs, or they should decide best, and some do, to be exiled and come to live in Bulgaria. It is a serial problem. "Instead of looking for the attackers, the activists from the clubs are interrogated by the police and they don't know if they were called as accused or as witnesses to what happened in the club," he says.

Milkov also says that there is an anti-Bulgarian sentiment in the institutions as well, mentioning the Commission for Prevention and Protection from Discrimination.

"We are ready for de-escalation in relations under certain conditions. Returning to the situation from ten days ago does not satisfy us. In particular, we demand the protection of the rights of the Bulgarians there - if this is not achieved, concrete repression", he explains.

There have been such statements before, but according to Milkov, Bulgaria expects practical steps, which is the inclusion of Bulgarians in the Constitution. Regarding Osmani's statement that there were provocations from both sides, Milkov says that when there was a provocation from the Bulgarian side, the MFA ruled on their website.

When asked how the MEP introduced himself Angel Dzambaski and the member of the Bulgarian parliament Kostadin Kostadinov in Skopje, Milkov said that he could not comment on that because he had no information and was not there. And, after the remarks from Macedonia, the Bulgarian MFA reacted on the official website.

"We cannot support such type of statements, because not only do they not lead to good neighborly relations, but they increase the tensions in North Macedonia, which reflect on the rights of the Bulgarians there, and we are again entering a vicious circle", clarified Milkov.