Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski called on Bulgaria to respect the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, in which it was determined that the rights of Macedonians in their country were violated. He pointed out that the Bulgarian authorities should respect the rights of Macedonian citizens who live on their territory.

We have absolutely always reacted in relation to all citizens who self-determine as Macedonians in any other country. There are Macedonians everywhere in the world. You know that there are rulings of the Court of Human Rights that Bulgaria has not implemented. I call on the Bulgarian authorities to act, as it is an EU member state. And those citizens who are citizens of Bulgaria and self-determine as Macedonians are citizens of the EU. Another call for all rights to be respected, just as they are respected in our country for all those who self-determine differently from the Macedonians, Kovacevski said.

The State Department report indicates that Bulgaria denies the registration of ethnic Macedonian activist groups such as United Macedonian Organization-Ilinden, United Macedonian Organization-Ilinden Blagoevgrad and the Society of Oppressed Macedonians-Victims of Communist Terror. It is added that this is also done even though the European Court has already established that their freedom of association is being curtailed.