North Macedonia has launched an investigation into meetings of Macedonian children with Bulgarian politicians, including their meeting with President Rumen Radev.
This happened after a report was filed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the prosecutor’s office in Bitola against the management of “Malak Bitolski Montmartre”, the interior minister of our south-western neighbor Oliver Spasovski announced during his “Open Cabinet” initiative in Bitola, reported the website “Nezavisen” (Independent – note ed.).
According to the publication, it is about the art studio, which “has taken children to Bulgaria several times, including to meetings with Bulgarian politicians, including President Rumen Radev”.
Oliver Spasovski specified that he knew about the case from the media, and the police informed the Bitola prosecutor’s office about the information they had.
“We are waiting to see if the prosecutor’s office will issue an order to collect the relevant documentation”says the interior minister of North Macedonia.
According to Spasovski “there are no complaints from parents of children, members of the studio, who traveled to Bulgaria and were photographed at meetings with Bulgarian politicians”.
No complaint was filed by any organization, including the First Children’s Embassy “Megyashi”, which earlier the same publication wrote that it had sent a letter to “Nezavisen”, in which it expressed concern “given the relations with Bulgaria and Greece, to bring children to meetings with politicians in these countries, especially if it is not clear what the purpose of these meetings is”.
“I appeal, not only for this case, to bring criminal charges and to take statements so that the institutions can take action. We don’t need to start cases just on cue. Once the prosecutor’s office has been notified, there is already a proceeding”says Oliver Spasovski.
Before that, the “Independent” website published a material under the title “Bitolski Montmartre abused children for political purposes”. It says that the first children’s embassy in the world, “Megyashi”, expressed the position “that the children, members of “Little Bitolski Montmartre”, are used as a tool for political purposes under the pretext of “developing good neighborly relations”. They called on the prosecutor’s office to act because of violations of the law.
This reaction also comes as a result of a publication by “Nezavisen” under the title “How “Little Montmartre from Bitola” crossed the border of art and entered politics”. It states that “children, members of the children’s art studio “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” in Bitola, were taken to Bulgaria for meetings with Bulgarian politicians, after which the children were photographed with them”. The photos were published in media in Bulgaria and North Macedonia without the organizers having permission from the parents, the publication notes.
“Analyzing the text “How ‘Little Montmartre from Bitola’ crossed the border of art and went into politics”, “Megyashi” believes that it is “extremely inappropriate or strange as a move, in the current political context in which Macedonia finds itself, especially given the relations with Bulgaria and Greece, to take children to meetings with politicians in these countries, and especially if it is not clear what the purpose of these meetings is”, says the letter of “Megyashi” to “Nezavisen”.
It also says that it arises the question of why the children were taken to Bulgaria under Simeon II and President Rumen Radev.
“What is the purpose of the visit to the grave of Tsar Boris III? What is the purpose of all these meetings and visits? How is it explained to the children who is Tsar Boris III? What did the children understand and learn from this visit? And all this is happening at a time when in Macedonia there is tension precisely on these issues. Children are not decoration for someone’s (political) marketing. They are not an object, they have equal rights like everyone else and should be treated as such. Otherwise, the participation of children as a decoration of certain events or events with unclear antecedents and agenda, is political violence against children”says the letter of “Megyashi” to “Nezavisen”.
“The children go to Bulgaria without their parents having signed consent for the program part of the visit, for the content that will be offered to the children and that will be implemented, nor are they informed about them,” the First Children’s Embassy states. According to the organization, “children are used as a tool for political purposes under the pretext of developing good neighborly relations.”
At the beginning of July, 30 young artists from the Republic of North Macedonia and Bulgaria painted a picture measuring 5 by 6 meters, depicting the dream unity between North Macedonia and Bulgaria in front of the National Theater in Sofia.
This is the third consecutive meeting of young artists from the two countries within the framework of the campaign “On Both Sides of the Border” by Dr. Milen Vrabevski and the “Bulgarian Memory” Foundation.
President Rumen Radev received at “Dondukov” 2 young artists from Bulgaria and North Macedonia, who participate in the initiative for good neighborliness and friendly relations between the two countries.
Ekaterina Zaharieva: The government of North Macedonia has reached a new bottom
“The government of North Macedonia reached a new low: Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski ordered the police to start pre-trial proceedings against a teacher because he took children to paint in Bulgaria – in front of the National Theater and in Plovdiv, and then visited the Bulgarian parliament and the presidency”. This was written by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ekaterina Zaharieva, who is currently a GERB deputy, on the occasion of the actions of the Macedonian Interior Minister.
“I don’t know if my colleagues understand what this looks like – as if they are taking desperate steps to join a very famous global club. No, it’s not about the European Union. It’s about the ever-shrinking club of totalitarian regimes,” points out Ekaterina Zaharieva.
“Actually, I remember that a teacher can be prosecuted by the police for such an act only in Russia, Belarus and North Korea,” she added.
“And we all thought that we had closed this dark page of history in the Balkans. It’s pitiful, sad, vile and absurd!” concludes Zaharieva’s post on Facebook.
