The Chairman and Secretary of the Closed Bulgarian Club in Bitola will receive Bulgarian Citizenship

The chairman and secretary of the "Ivan Mihailov" Bulgarian cultural center in Bitola, closed by the authorities in North Macedonia, will receive Bulgarian citizenship. President Rumen Radev will present Bulgarian passports to Lyubcho Georgievski and Blagoi Shatorov at a ceremony in the "Coat of Arms" Hall of "Dondukov" 2 street.

The Bulgarian club in Bitola, named after the last historical leader of VMRO (IMRO) Ivan Mihailov, was established by the local Macedonian Bulgarians three years ago. Representatives of the Bulgarian authorities participated in its official opening in April 2022.

A month later, the door of the club was set on fire, and the arsonist, Lambe Alabakovski, received a suspended sentence.

In March, the authorities in Skopje decided that the center could not be named after Ivan Mihailov on the grounds that it was a "provocation to the national feelings of the Macedonian people" and demanded that the club be renamed.

After this did not happen and after adopted amendments to the Law on the names of associations and foundations, the Bulgarian center in Bitola was closed.

The prosecutor's office filed a charge of inciting hatred against the chairman of the association.

Today, Lyubcho Georgievski and the secretary of the Bulgarian club, which was erased by the authorities in North Macedonia, Blagoi Shatorov, will receive their Bulgarian passports personally from President Rumen Radev at a special ceremony on "Dondukov" 2 street. Vice-President Iliana Yotova signed the decrees for acquiring Bulgarian citizenship on the basis of their Bulgarian origin.

This week, the president again expressed concern over the lack of progress on the subject of changes to the Constitution of the Republic of North...