Skopje, 4 June 2022 (MIA) — Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj strongly condemned the arson at the entrance to Bitola’s Ivan Mihajlov Cultural Center of the Bulgarian community, saying it was a direct attack against developing good neighborly ties with Bulgaria and an incendiary provocation to both countries. “I express regret for today's Bitola incident,” Marichikj said in a Facebook post, noting that such provocations served only to stir up nationalistic outrage in both countries and harm bilateral relations and cooperation. "I strongly condemn this act of vandalism and I am convinced that these minor provocations will not overshadow the sincere commitment and the efforts we have made so far to revive the dialogue with Bulgaria and restore the relations between the two nations to normal," the Europe minister said. He also said he believed the authorities would expediently find and sanction the perpetrators. mr/