Historian Vanco Gjorgjiev, who resigned from the joint commission with Bulgaria, said that a Foreign Ministry official asked the Macedonian delegates in the commission to accept Bulgarian positions on historic figures such as Tsar Samoil. Bulgaria wants Macedonia to accept and teach the Bulgarian historic narrative, which declares Samoil as a Bulgarian king.

We were discussing Tsar Samoil. The notes we exchanged were outside of all that was discussed before, and the proposal made by the Foreign Ministry official did not correspond to what was discussed for the entire year. It confirmed the views and the positions of the Bulgarian historians, Gjorgjiev said.

After he resigned, Gjorgjiev said that a top Ministry official threatened him and tried to force him to remain in the commission. The Zaev regime increased its pressure on the Macedonian historians in the commission, as Zaev is desperate for a deal that would have Bulgaria lift its veto against Macedonia’s EU accession talks.