During his visit to Bitola, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that he is prepared to order that World War Two plaques that mention the “Bulgarian fascist occupiers” are scrubbed from the word “Bulgarian”. These plaques are commonplace and symbolize the place where Bulgarian soldiers killed partisan fighters, or in some cases, perpetrated massacres over civilians. Terms such as “kliled by the filthy Bulgarian hand” are also used in some instances.

I am being criticized by the domestic public for this but I’m prepared to have the plaques done so that only the text “fascist occupier” remains. In the spirit of friendship, in the way that Poland and Germany resolved their problem, or Germany and France did, we will see all through the prism of friendship, Zaev said.

The Prime Minister is desperate to get Bulgaria to approve the opening of EU accession talks, and revising the historic narrative of the Second World War is one of the Bulgarian demands. Zaev already ordered the scrubbing of the Star of Kutles sign from public spaces on orders from Greece. But the altering of WW2 history caused a major rift in his SDSM party, which used to base much of its claim to power on the partisan struggle against the Bulgarian forces.

Zaev added that he is also in talks with Bulgaria to have it assume patrols over the Macedonian airspace. Greece already began such patrols, and Zaev said that Turkey and Italy are also interested in this.

We need to continue to put in efforts with Bulgaria, and I’m being encouraged in this by several EU member states. I speak as Zoran Zaev, leader of our Macedonian society with all that I have done in the past period, giving lessons in European values here, in the heart and the soul of the Balkan Peninsula and I’m happy that there is still European-ness left in the European Union. For us the European Union is sacred, we want to Europeanize ourselves by achieving European values at home and we will do so with or without blockades, we have no other alternative, Zaev went on, referring to the decision by Slovakia and the Czech Republic to stand up to Bulgaria, in defense of Macedonia.