16.9.2007

Twenty-two Bulgarian and Macedonian municipalities twinned in past two years

Bulgaria’s Smolyan Municipality has twinned with Macedonia’s Gostivar Municipality. The cooperation agreement was signed by Smolyan Mayor Dora Yankova and her Gostivar counterpart, Nevzat Bejta. This is the 12th municipality Smolyan twins with.
The Macedonian delegation was accompanied by Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Macedonia General Miho Mihov, who is honorary citizen of Smolyan. Radio FOCUS – Smolyan spoke to General Miho Mihov for that reason:

FOCUS: Mr. Ambassador, do you have statistics about how many Bulgarian municipalities have twinned with Macedonian ones?
General Miho Mihov: For the past two years we have twinned twenty-two Bulgarian and as many Macedonian municipalities. We contact and know personally the mayors of many of the places. For example, one of the first twinning between St. Nikole and Sapareva Banya happened a year and a half ago. We have previously treated the issue informally, but I want it to be formal, signed by an agreement, seals and signatures, which gives a long-term perspective for what we are talking about. We want to recover the lost faith.
Almost all big Macedonian municipalities and towns have twinned with many Bulgarian ones. For example, Krushevo Municipality, which is very interesting from a historical point of view, has twinned with two Bulgarian towns. It twinned with the first town on Ilinden, August 2 with Kavarna, not long ago it twinned with Bansko. Bansko has been twinned with many Macedonian towns. I am happy with what we do today here and I think that such a modern twinning that equalizes ethnicity and religion is the most important thing as a sign and intention for what we have shown about the region on the western Balkans.

FOCUS: What is your evaluation of the Bulgarian-Macedonian relations after Bulgaria joined the EU?
General Miho Mihov: Perhaps you mean the Macedonian relation to Bulgaria’s EU membership. The desire to have it all for all the peoples, especially on the Balkans is typical for Macedonia, so when Macedonian citizens had the chance to travel around the world before, now Bulgaria has the right as an EU member state and that has annoyed in some way the Macedonian community and society. Bulgaria requires visas for Macedonian citizens. You see that this is a new state for Macedonia, which is former member of Yugoslavia that had many rights. Many of your colleagues have written some articles not well-meant ahead of our membership as of January 1 and a little after.
I am honest by saying that there is no such a campaign against the Bulgarian membership now. At the same time Macedonia should not be rebuked by Bulgaria in this sense. The Bulgarian embassy and the Consulate General in Bitola, which was opened to relieve the visa regime to Macedonian citizens cooperate heavily with all municipalities and mayors with the idea to implement joint projects of the neighbourhood type, for which the EU pledged EUR 36 million. The issue whether Macedonia is jealous of Bulgaria’s EU membership is not tragic, on the contrary, that way they want to show that they need our experience to negotiate a closer date for talks and membership to NATO.

FOCUS: How will you mark the 110th anniversary of the first Bulgarian diplomatic representation to Bitola?
General Miho Mihov: We will mark it in Bitola. On September 19 and 20 we mark 110 years of the first diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Macedonia. In 1905 – 1912 Bulgaria opened a commercial representation in Bitola, which later became a diplomatic one. It was closed when the Balkan War started. When we were criticized for opening a consulate general to Bitola, but not to Ohrid or Strumitsa, one of the arguments was that Bulgaria has diplomatic traditions in Bitola. Then Bitola is a centre of southern Macedonia and can serve a bigger area. And third – Bitola has nine consulates, of which only two general ones – the Greek and the Bulgarian one.

Source: Focus informationa agency