In recent weeks, Vasil Garvanlev, a singer with dual Bulgarian and Macedonian citizenship, Caused new tensions Between Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria, there are two countries that have recently had complicated relations, mainly for reasons related to history, identity and language: a few months ago, for example, Bulgaria Blocked The process by which North Macedonia enters the European Union. A video has sparked the latest dispute between the two countries: the song “Here I am standing” will be featured on Eurovision for Garvanlive North Macedonia.

The clashes erupted two weeks ago when North Macedonian Public Television (MRTV) aired a preview of the video.

At one point in the video, a work of art painted in the national gallery of Macedonia in the capital, Skopje, was seen as a work of art in white, green, and red with the Bulgarian flag: several Macedonian national critics accused Garveneve of campaigning for the Bulgarian government, causing much controversy.

MRTV and Garvanlive explained that this was a mistake and not a provocation; They apologized and deleted part of the video where the controversial artwork was shown. However, the dispute did not end there, because in the meantime Garvan‌live added that he would not apologize for his personality (i.e., for his origin: his grandparents were Bulgarian).

Recently, the Macedonian government and many members of the public have been involved in discussions about Garvanlew’s video.

Government spokesman and former mayor of Garumleev’s hometown of Strumica, Kostadin Kostadinov, defended the singer, claiming that the whole thing was used by someone to carry out “political looting.” Former Macedonian Prime Minister Lubko Georgievsky, a dual Macedonian and Bulgarian citizen, criticized the attack on Garvanlev and called it “exploitation”. Critics who called for his withdrawal from Eurovision included Macedonian actor Sasso Tasevsky, a nationalist who said that Garvanlive “lived a lie” and that “Macedonians are Bulgarians” and in fact “I am not!”

Bulgarian Government He said Following the “misleading” propaganda of hatred and humiliation against Garvanouliv in northern Macedonia. Calling on the Macedonian Ambassador to Bulgaria, Vladimir Krastovsky, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Sahariva said, “Bulgaria hopes to protect the right of citizens to self-determination.”

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Bulgaria was a major supporter of Macedonia in the process of independence from Yugoslavia at the time, becoming the first country to recognize the new independent Macedonian state in 1991. However, many Bulgarian historians argue that Macedonian cultural identity was created only after World War II, as well as believing that the Macedonian language is only one language of the Bulgarian language.

Relations between the two countries were very tense in Bulgaria last November Blocked The process by which European Macedonia enters European Macedonia, which is part of Bulgaria. This process seems to have been unlocked about two years ago, at the end of a thirty-year dispute between the Macedonian government and the Greek government: Macedonia’s historic territory is actually larger than the national territory of present-day northern Macedonia, including Greece and Bulgaria. For thirty years Greece had alleged that Macedonia had adopted the name, cultural and historical identity of a geographical area within the borders of the Greek state.

Macedonia must agree to try to join the European Union Add the word “North” to its official official name.

But now that it joins the European Union, Bulgaria wants to ensure that Northern Macedonia makes no claims to the Macedonian-speaking minority in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian government wants to avoid direct reference to the “Macedonian language” in the official documents of the union and to make it clear that it is of Bulgarian origin.

– Also read: Bulgaria does not want North Macedonia to join the European Union