With strong police security with hundreds of police officers, with provocations and insults from the gathered audience, as well as with very loud music played in the opposite direction, yesterday the opening of the Macedonian cultural club "Nikola Vaptsarov" in Blagoevgrad passed without major incidents, from which a message was sent that culture really it can bring people together because it deflects, not increases, hatred.

The organizers emphasized that the club will help in Bulgaria to recognize the Macedonian culture, and with it the Macedonian people.

Support in their mission with their presence at the opening was given by the presidents of the Macedonian opposition parties VMRO-DPMNE and Left, Hristijan Mickoski and Dimitar Apasiev, as well as Mile Boshnjakovski, head of the office of the president of the state Stevo Pendarovski. No one came from the government, arguing that the club is a private initiative and that it is financed by an anti-NATO association, but the Democratic Union party, which is part of the government coalition, sent its own delegation that said Bulgaria must recognize the rights of the Macedonians.

Milan Rizakov from OMO Ilinden Pirin yesterday he said that bridges should be built between the two nations, not walls.

- We are accused of enemies, when our intentions are friendly, we are accused of separatists, when our aspiration is the demolition of borders and a united Europe. We are accused of being illegal, and we want to work within the law, for 32 years we have been trying to register our association with which we will participate in cultural, social and political life. The country has been condemned 15 times for this in the European Court of Human Rights, and we do not want to judge ourselves, we simply want to be equal like the rest of the citizens. We want to be able to call ourselves Macedonians, and for that not to be offended, to be able to gather and create without fear. We want to be useful for both countries and for both peoples, because we know their soul and culture - said Rizakov.

He emphasized that being Macedonian is not an anti-Bulgarian act.

The opening of the club, according to the founders, is aimed at bringing the two peoples closer together and overcoming differences. One of them, Atanas Maznev, thanked everyone who supported the opening of the club.

- A big thank you to all the Macedonians from Pirin Macedonia who supported our morale and that gave us the strength to stand firm in certain moments. We express our gratitude to Rade Siljan who donated 300 volumes of literature for our club, it is a treasure for us - said Maznev.

Apasiev said that Levica gives full support to such clubs and expects the rules to be respected in a European country.

- This is the first Macedonian club to open. Although it is formal, legal and legal, you know that the Bulgarian state does not allow it. Unlike the fascist clubs that are opening in our country, this is the name of an anti-fascist and a communist, and from that ideological point of view, we give full support to such clubs. There is no tension, we don't do tension. It was expected that the prime minister and the president would come, because this is a historical event, but they did not dare - said Apasiev.

Mickoski congratulated the opening of the club and said that the right to self-determination as Macedonians should be respected, and that right is inviolable and guaranteed by all international acts.

– This was an extremely good opportunity to unite, to stand behind the Macedonian people in Blagoevgrad, to support this club because this man, after whom the club is named, both in history and now brought together and connected, not divided. That's how I expect this club here in Blagoevgrad to bring the Macedonians in Bulgaria together - emphasized Mickoski.

After the opening, Mickoski was the target of a verbal attack by a citizen who was carrying a loudspeaker that was blaring patriotic songs.

He insulted Mickoski with the words "traitor" and asked him to speak in Bulgarian, after which the crowd began to shout "Macedonia, Macedonia". Mitkoski and the delegation went for a walk to the monument of Gotse Delchev to lay flowers, but was stopped by the police, who for security reasons did not allow them to go because in front of the monument were gathered supporters of the VMRO-Bulgarian National Movement led by Angel Dzambaski. who shouted "traitors".