Macedonians in Bulgaria Oppose Proposed Treaty

The organisation characterised the recent Bulgarian draft treaty for good neighborly relations with Macedonia as an indecent offer. They say the proposed deal favours Sofia and opens the possibility for Bulgaria to block Macedonia's road to EU.

"Macedonian organisations in Bulgaria are the work of the Macedonian minority living here, and not of the Macedonian state. They are created by nationals of Bulgaria, and Macedonia cannot prohibit Bulgarian citizens with Macedonian identity from existing and organising, nor can Bulgaria," the press release read.

The organisation's statements come after this week local media claiming to posses a copy of the English version of the Bulgarian draft treaty reported that in the proposal Sofia indirectly conditions its support for Skopje’s EU and NATO integration with its conduct on bilateral issues.

The organisation, which says it aims to fight for minority rights protection, has been trying to register as a political party in Bulgaria for a long time, but has not had success because the courts there see it as a separatist movement.

In 2000 the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg condemned Bulgaria because of violations of the OMO Ilinden–Pirin's freedom to organise meetings. The court stated that Bulgaria had violated Act 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

Despite its present uncertain status in Bulgaria, “OMO Ilinden–Pirin” was accepted as a full member of the European Free Alliance, a European political grouping in the European Parliament, in April 2007.

The organisation claims that Macedonians in Bulgaria are subject to discrimination and human rights abuses when they assert their ethnic Macedonian identity.