President Rumen Radev commented on North Macedonia’s head of state Gordana Silianovska-Davkova’s visit to Sofia last week. The head of state of North Macedonia arrived on Friday and was welcomed by her Bulgarian counterpart. “I expect this ambition that has been expressed for openness, for a constructive relationship to be adopted by the government of North Macedonia,” Radev said today.

“Let’s be clear, it was neither an official visit nor a working visit and I hope that soon the president of the Republic of North Macedonia will make an official visit with all the official ceremonies according to the protocol and this will also contribute to our relations,” he added.

Radev stated that it is important what Bulgaria will do from now on to help North Macedonia.

The Bulgarian ambassador to Skopje Zeliazko Radukov was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia today to explain why the North Macedonian flag was absent from a photo of the presidents of North Macedonia and Bulgaria in Sofia on Friday.

In the photo, Rumen Radev and Gordana Silianovska-Davkova can be seen standing in front of the flags of Bulgaria and the European Union, but not of North Macedonia.

Because of this photo, the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) called Silianovska-Davkova’s visit to Sofia a diplomatic failure, and diplomats commented on TV Telma that what happened was contemptuous and demeaning to North Macedonia.

However, other diplomats from Skopje commented that Silianovska-Davkova’s visit to the Bulgarian capital was unofficial and did not take place at the invitation of the Bulgarian side, so her meeting at the presidency building was informal and protocol did not require the North’s flag to be raised. of Macedonia in the hall.