He talks about the challenges and pressures faced by the members of the Joint Macedonian-Bulgarian Commission for Historical and Educational Issues during his visit to Morning Briefing, Professor Petar Todorov, who is a historian and a member of this body.

- I do not feel comfortable commenting on public policy and political issues. Both sides want to bring a new spirit to issues that are important to the people on both sides of the border. It has been said several times by us that for the Commission it is necessary for the political elites to create an atmosphere in which historians can work, free from any kind of pressure. "But it is obvious that there is interest in political issues, unfortunately history and historical topics are politicized in our country and subject to political abuse," said Todorov.

Regarding the political abuses, Todorov said that they exist in other countries, but in our country, ie in the region, they are overemphasized:

- We hear too much history from the mouths of politicians, which is not the case for the countries we want to follow by standard of living. In our country, too often, politicians take on the role of historians, and sometimes historians take on the role of politicians, and in both the result is a catastrophe, said Todorov.

He spoke about the working principles of the Joint Commission on which the promotion of Macedonian-Bulgarian relations depends.

- We as a commission when we opened the issue of textbooks and even for the joint celebrations had our proposals, our remarks and we debated about it. So both sides are equal in that, but what happens next with the Commission at the political level further, within the framework of what we do. He can often see that the Commission is subject to political abuse in the relations between the two countries, ie it is used to attack the other side. But in order for the commission to give results, both sides need to take a self-critical approach, and if it does not have that approach, the commission is doomed to failure. We are equal and give very concrete remarks about the Bulgarian historical education that treats us as a state and as a Macedonian people, said Todorov.

Considering that there were several changes in the Joint Commission, ie certain members - historians left and experts from other fields were brought in their place, Todorov said:

- This commission does not intend to establish historical facts, but to address issues related to historical education. Experts from other fields, such as anthropologists and the like, are needed. We have non-historians for that moment of memory, but that does not mean that we do not have people who know that period and who do not consult with professors who are specialists for that period, Todorov is decisive.

Watch the whole interview in the video: