Setting the entrance of Bulgarian Cultural Center in Bitola on fire is yet another inflammatory provocation aimed at preventing the ministries of foreign affairs of Macedonia and Bulgaria, the joint historical commission and everyone involved from finding a reasonable solution, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Asen Vasilev told Sofia-based Nova TV.

The fire is not directed against Bulgaria or Macedonia, but it is directed against the attempts to reach an agreement and it comes after a very long time of talks and promises, to reach a point of understanding, says Vasilev.

According to him, the arson is something that has no chance to provoke emotions, and therefore it will not affect the negotiations.

I hope it will not have a dramatic effect, Vasilev said.

He believes that “the issue with Macedonia is not a situation related to the PP party, but to the entire Bulgarian state and people, and Bulgaria has not asked that issue for a long time.”

We have been silent on this issue with Macedonia for a long time. Unlike Greece, which for 20 years shouted that they had a problem, and we said there was no problem and at the last minute we said that there was still a problem, Vasilev said, adding that the problem existed and could not be “put under the rug.”

He stressed that the message that Sofia receives from European partners is to sit down with the authorities in Skopje and reach an agreement to unlock the country’s accession process to the EU.

The first step to start liberating the process is basically to convince our European partners that it is not Bulgaria that needs to settle things with Macedonia, but that the EU needs to settle things with Macedonia, he said.