The Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Ministry summoned the Macedonian deputy Ambassador to protest discrimination against Bulgarians in Macedonia, namely the outrage aimed at singer Vasil Garvanliev.

Garvanliev revealed that he is a dual Bulgarian – Macedonian citizen after he was named Macedonia’s pick for the Eurovision song contest, and used the Bulgarian flag in his video. This caused angry comments aimed at him and calls to replace him with another singer.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva summoned the Macedonian diplomat to express “deep confusion and dissapointment from the negative campaign aimed at Garvanliev” and said that Bulgaria will protect Bulgarian citizens in Macedonia and citizens who express their Bulgarian identity.

Bulgaria has a policy of gladly issuing citizenship to Macedonian citizens who declare that they had a Bulgarian ancestor. About 100,000 such citizenships were issued, including to Garvanliev, mainly to people eager to use them for easier travel and access to the EU labour market which Bulgaria has as a full EU member. Bulgaria itself has used the program for political gains and has politicized it, as seen during the recent stunt by Bulgarian Defense Minister Krasimir Karakacanov, who falsely claimed that officials of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party have secretly taken Bulgarian citizenships – in apparent coordination with the SDSM party that immediately responded with a hateful campaign against them.