Bulgarian historian Angel Dimitrov, who leads the Bulgarian delegation in the joint commission on historic issues, insists that the country must stick to its arguments and should not allow external pressure to be made on it to lift the veto.

If we are really certain in our positions, we must defend them. Given the depth of the problems and the possible consequences, this is a matter of our dignity, Dimitrov said in a BNT interview.

He accused Macedonian historians of refusing to accept the Bulgarian positions and of blocking the process of joint honoring of historic figures, which Bulgaria insists on.