Flag Controversy Overshadows Siljanovska's Cultural Visit to Sofia

North Macedonia plans to request an explanation from the office of Bulgaria's President, Rumen Radev, following a photo from his meeting with Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova on Friday. The photo, taken at the presidency in Sofia, shows the Bulgarian and EU flags, but notably absent is the national flag of North Macedonia. This omission has sparked numerous comments in North Macedonia.

In response to a question from mkd.mk, Siljanovska's office explained that her visit was inspired by the Sofia Opera and Ballet's performance of "Valkyrie" in Skopje. She had promised to attend a performance of "Nabucco" in Sofia as part of her belief in cultural diplomacy. A private meeting with Radev, along with a joint visit to the opera, was organized. However, the tragic plane crash that occurred earlier in the day prevented President Radev and his wife from attending the event, and they later issued an apology.

Siljanovska's office emphasized that the meeting deviated from the agreed protocol, which stipulated no photos should be taken indoors. Despite this, Radev invited Siljanovska for a photo in front of the Bulgarian flag. Her office expressed the hope that this was an unintentional protocol oversight and stated that they would seek an explanation from the Bulgarian side.

In North Macedonia, the absence of the national flag in the photo led to sharp criticism. The SDSM party labeled Siljanovska's visit a "diplomatic failure," while TV Telma cited diplomats who viewed the incident as "disrespectful and humiliating." Critics pointed out that standard diplomatic protocol requires the display of the guest country's flag, regardless of whether the visit is official or informal. Some argued that Siljanovska's team should...