Bulgarian historian Stefan Dechev will initiate the creation of a new committee of historians from Macedonia and Bulgaria, which he sees as a “shadow commission”. It would work separate from the formal joint commission set up by both countries, but will try to focus on reconciliation, while the meetings of the original commission often end with increased tensions and deeper divisions.
Dechev is a member of the recently formed Club for friendship between the two nations, which he hopes will help reduce tensions between the countries.

Our goal is to bring together people from both sides of the border who will lead a sincere and fruitful dialogue about all areas of life. The new commission will have as its goal to show that we don’t have to have scandals between the historians from the two countries, Dechev said.

The new commissions will meet in ten days in Bulgaria, Dechev said.