The university professor and Minister of Justice at the time when the association “Ivan Mihajlov” in Bitola was registered, Renata Deskovska, says that the public reacts rightly, but also points out that the ministry did not give such consent.

The public reacts rightly. The question was also raised as to which state body allowed an association to be registered under that name. The Central Registry is responsible for registering associations. If the name and surname of a historical and other famous person are entered in the name of the association, its consent is required, if it is deceased – consent of its relatives up to the third degree in a straight line, and if such do not exist, consent is given by the Ministry of Justice. In 2019, when this association was registered, consent was requested from the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry then did not approve the use of the name Ivan Mihajlov. The Ministry of Justice also informed the applicant that he could not give consent for the use of the name Ivan Mihajlov, says Deskovska, who published the document-response to the request in the ministry.