The joint Macedonian-Bulgarian commission on historical and educational issues is set to hold a new round of talks in Sofia on Thursday and Friday. It seems that the members of the Macedonian team of the commission went to Bulgaria via Kumanovo and Kriva Palanka and could not use the services of the new airline, because it should officially start operating very soon, analyzes Pressing TV.

After the unsuccessful last, 16th meeting, in Skopje, in December last year, it has already become uncertain what agenda the members of the Commission will discuss. As our representatives said at the time, they failed to bridge the gap in approach and understanding of the role of history and historical education in modern societies and building good relations free from the politicization of history.

From what is known so far, the Commission managed to reach an agreement on Saints Cyril and Methodius, as well as Saints Clement and Naum, but it is still uncertain whether, after the initial positive results, Tsar Samuil is finally included on the agenda. Because, his name is found among the resolved, then among the unresolved figures. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bujar Osmani, in one of his appearances in the media, listed him among those persons for whom an agreement has already been reached.

So far, no protocol has been published for any person from which the content and formulation can be seen, which will be used in both textbooks and history. Hence the dilemma, for example, how will Tsar Samuel be taught and honored?

The head of the Bulgarian team of the Commission, Angel Dimitrov, recently, in an interview with Sofia-based “Trud”, when asked to explain the reasons for the disputes over Tsar Samuil, said:

Yes, the protocol said that he was a Bulgarian ruler, a continuation of the Bulgarian imperial tradition. When it came time to put it in textbooks, our colleagues ran away from that commitment – it was not for textbooks, but only for political use. These double standards are a reflection of one of their methodologies.