Skopje, 25 June 2022 (MIA) – North Macedonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday it strongly condemns Friday’s printed banners reading “Macedonia is Bulgaria” which could be seen in the hands of some MPs during the session on the first item at the Bulgarian National Assembly, and also heard from the rostrum during the session. “Such messages are contrary to European democratic values, and also contrary to the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation, and do not contribute to nurturing the principles and spirit of the Treaty,” says the Foreign Ministry. The statement points out that the country expects Bulgarian officials to condemn the explicit hate speech and territorial claims against North Macedonia as an extremely inappropriate act towards a neighboring friendly country. “North Macedonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs delivered an appropriate verbal note with this content to the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” adds the press release.