Skopje, 16 September 2024 (MIA) - In a first comment after the meeting with Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, which caused reactions in the public due to the absence of the Macedonian flag in their joint photo on Friday in Sofia, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said that her visit was neither an official nor a working visit. 

Radev described his meeting with the President of the Republic of North Macedonia as frank and constructive in a friendly atmosphere, Bulgarian Information Agency Focus reports. 

"I expect this expressed will for openness to be upheld by the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, but let it be clear that this was neither a state nor a working visit. I hope that in the near future the President of the Republic of North Macedonia will make a state visit, which will be with all official ceremonies according to protocol and will contribute to the further development of our relations. If we follow the protocol, now it's my turn to go there," said President Radev.

The meeting, he added, was very constructive and in a friendly spirit. "This is a really good start to fully help the Republic of North Macedonia," Radev said.

Dimitar Stoyanov, advisor to President Radev and former minister, told BNT that the visit of the President of the Republic of North Macedonia was on the occasion of a cultural event and was neither a state nor a working visit. "That is why the Macedonian flag was not placed in the hall, because such visits do not require strict observance of the state protocol," Stoyanov said. 

DNES.BG. reports that Stoyanov noted that the meeting between Radev and Siljanovska Davkova was extremely constructive and in a good tone. Future state visits to North Macedonia and Bulgaria have been agreed upon, which, according to Stoyanov, is a step forward in the dialogue between the two countries.  

He said he would not like to talk about provocation in this case, in a situation where a step forward in the development of relations is required. "It is not correct to interfere with flags in this situation. If an official from a neighbouring country comes to drink coffee in Bulgaria, should we put up flags? Unnecessary aggravation of the situation," said Stoyanov.

Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (MFAFT) directorate for the region, and not Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski, will hand over a letter of protest to Bulgarian Ambassador Zhelyazko Radukov over the omission of the national flag in the photo of Presidents Gordana Siljanovska Davkova and Rumen Radev, Ministry sources have told MIA.

According to these sources, there was no reaction about the incident during the meeting in Sofia, "since there are protocols in place when responding to these types of situations". They say that the protocol was agreed ahead of the meeting and the MFAFT will ask the Bulgarian side why this protocol was not followed. The sources add that the Macedonian flag was on display at the working lunch that preceded the meeting between the two presidents, which was otherwise constructive.

The Ministry sources say the issue of delayed implementation of the constitutional amendments was not raised at the working lunch, adding it will be discussed once a political government is elected in Bulgaria.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said the Bulgarian Ambassador to the country will be presented with a letter of protest after President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova was asked to take a photo alongside counterpart Rumen Radev without the Macedonian flag in the background during her visit to Sofia last Friday.

"When Macedonian dignity was sold in the past, everyone kept quiet and agreed with those who humiliated and trampled us. Now things are resolved with diplomacy, by sending letters of protest. When red lines are crossed, then you have to respond, because if you don't, then the exception will become the norm," PM Mickoski told reporters.

We are always ready, he added, to return with kindness to good neighbourly relations, but also respond when red lines are crossed.

According to the PM, the Macedonian delegation did not immediately react to the absence of the national flag out of respect for the two Bulgarian pilots who lost their lives in a crash earlier in the day.

The Office of President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova announced on Saturday it would seek clarification over the photograph taken in front of the Bulgarian flag in the Office of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, noting that such an act wasn’t planned nor agreed. 

“What overshadowed the event was the deviation from the agreed protocol for the meeting, according to which photographs were not supposed to be taken within the closed area. However, unfortunately, before the beginning of the tête-à-tête meeting, President Radev invited the President to take a photo together in front of the Bulgarian flag, even though such an act was not planned nor agreed. We want to believe this is a mere oversight in the protocol and not an intentional act and deviation from what has been agreed, and we will seek clarification from the Bulgarian side,” Siljanovska-Davkova's Office said in a press release.

The meeting between Radev and Siljanovska Davkova was part of the Macedonian President's activities during her visit to Sofia where she attended the Macedonian National Opera and Ballet’s performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Nabucco”, as a step in cultural diplomacy. The Macedonian delegation also included Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski and Minister of Culture Zoran Ljutkov.  

Photo: MIA archive