Bulgarian PM Confirms Visit to Macedonia

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has confirmed that he is to visit neighboring Macedonia later on Saturday.

Borisov has told Nova TV that he is to have an informal dinner meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Gruevski.
Earlier on Saturday, rumors emerged in Macedonian media saying that Borisov is about to embark on a "secret" visit to the country.

"There is nothing secret in my visit to Macedonia," the Bulgarian Prime Minister said. He reminded that he talked with Gruevski over the phone several days ago.

The relations between the two Balkan states have been quite delicate recently.

A so-called agreement for good neighborly relations, or friendship treaty, was proposed by Bulgaria to Macedonia at the end of 2012, soon after Bulgaria joined Greece in blocking the EU giving Macedonia a start date for accession negotiations.

The Bulgarian government had objected to what they see as discriminatory attitudes towards ethnic Bulgarians in Macedonia, and ongoing strife about cultural and historical heritage.

Authorities in Macedonia are being accused of creating an hostile nationalistic atmosphere in the country, in part by claiming historic heritage of neighboring nations, such as Bulgaria, as its own.

Text and photo: novinite.com