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Post by TsarSamuil on Dec 2, 2009 17:45:38 GMT -5
Londoners support calls to ban minarets in capital.
The London Daily News ^ | December 02 2009
75% support for the ban on minarets in London Daily News poll
Londoners support the Swiss government’s decision to ban minarets and mosques according to a new poll in The London Daily News, further highlighting the "sensitivities" and concerns in the capital at the growing influence of Islam.
Callers to London's leading early morning radio show, the Nick Ferrari programme on LBC, also expressed their concerns with one caller citing how "out of character" a minaret would be if built in London.
London is the home to one of the largest number of mosques in the western world,apart from Turkey, with estimates putting the number at over one hundred. The "minaret" issue has become ever more controversial with the growth of Islamic extremism in the capital, and calls by a minority for Sharia law to be observed by all.
Harrow Council recently approved the building of the largest mosque in the capital, which will see Harrow Central Mosque serving Muslim worshippers from across north London when it is built on Station Road. Construction News in a report said:
"The designs include a 40m-high minaret, a gym, a crèche and a café within the 5,745 square metre developments. It is expected to open next year after Harrow Council approved changes to the original plans, which were passed in June 2000."
Increasingly London Muslims are demanding mosques to be built with traditional minarets, which reflect the liberal regime in place in the capital city. There are an estimated 1 million Muslims in London.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Dec 5, 2009 6:18:57 GMT -5
EU cautious on integrating Ukraine.
By Gabriel Gatehouse
BBC News, Kiev
The EU has reviewed Ukraine's slow progress towards integration with the 27-nation bloc at a summit in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
Beneath the bland diplomatic language associated with such events there is deep frustration on both sides.
The Ukrainian government wants a long-promised free trade deal, and easier access to visas for its citizens.
But a Russia-Ukraine dispute over gas prices in January was disastrous for Ukraine's image in Brussels.
Bureaucratic obstacles
In the wake of the war in Georgia in the summer of 2008, Ukraine and the EU announced they were working towards an association agreement, which was expected to be signed by the end of this year.
But on Friday there was no such agreement to sign. Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira, the EU's top official in Ukraine, said the government in Kiev had simply not kept its side of the bargain, and that very little progress had been made in the areas where the EU wants Ukraine to reform.
"In particular in creating an environment to start reducing corruption; red tape; administrative burdens of all kinds in terms of the business in Ukraine, of attracting investment. There are a number of issues that indicate that in fact very little progress has been achieved."
The Orange Revolution five years ago led many to hope that Ukraine would be put on a fast track towards EU membership. But a state of almost constant political instability has followed those heady days of protests on Kiev's Independence Square.
Rocky relations with Russia, sharpened by a long-running dispute over gas prices, have also impacted on Ukraine's prospects for closer integration.
On previous occasions when Russia had switched off the taps, the view had largely been that Ukraine was a victim of an assertive Kremlin playing energy politics.
But during January's gas war, the corruption inherent in the highly opaque system by which Russia and Ukraine traded in energy was exposed. As hundreds of thousands of EU citizens froze in their homes, sympathy for Ukraine evaporated.
Ukraine is entering another uncertain period, as the country prepares for presidential elections in January. EU leaders will be reluctant to make any firm commitments to Ukraine until the country's future direction becomes clearer.
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Post by vjacheslav on Dec 7, 2009 9:53:10 GMT -5
As for me, no reasons for Ukraine appears to integrate into the eouro-atlantic and european structures...
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Post by TsarSamuil on Dec 10, 2009 12:03:11 GMT -5
Turkish ban on pro-Kurdish party hampers EU hopes.
RussiaToday.com
Published 10 December, 2009, 12:03
Turkey's highest court is deliberating whether to ban the country's leading pro-Kurdish party. A ban could complicate Turkey's efforts to enter the European Union – which has said it would infringe the rights of Kurds.
The Democratic Society party – the DTP – denies accusations of backing the separatists and taking orders from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.
It is the only pro-Kurdish party in Turkish Parliament – with 21 seats out of over 500.
In an interview with RT, the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said that the country will continue to seek EU membership regardless of difficulties.
"Some European leaders want to implement rules, which are not in line with the EU’s accession legislation. They have started to implement them only for Turkey. This is not fair. But despite all this, we do not lose hope. Despite such a policy we will keep striving to join," he said.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Dec 17, 2009 10:08:52 GMT -5
Ofc these baboons don't respect democracy n the outcome!
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Muslim Files Human Rights Appeal against Swiss Minaret Ban.
Novinite.com
World | December 17, 2009, Thursday
An appeal against the recent Swiss referendum decision to ban the construction of minarets, has been lodged with the European Court of Human Rights.
Hafid Ouardiri, and Algerian-born Muslim and former spokesperson for the Geneva Mosque wants the court to rule that the ban breaches the European Convention on Human Rights.
In November, 57,5% of the Swiss electorate voted in favor of the ban on future construction of minarets in a referendum put forward by the Swiss People’s party.
The Swiss federal government had urged voters to reject the ban, warning it would contravene human rights and religious freedom. International condemnation followed the referendum result.
The Strasbourg court will now determine whether the complaint is “formally receivable” – this process could take up to 18 months. If the request is ruled admissible, it could be several years before a ruling is made.
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Post by White Cossack on Dec 17, 2009 14:12:54 GMT -5
I didn't know the Swiss had balls.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Dec 18, 2009 7:51:05 GMT -5
Surprising from such a neutral country  |
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Post by TsarSamuil on Dec 20, 2009 23:24:12 GMT -5
Macedonia President Ivanov: Symbolic Mental Barriers Dismantled. Novinite.com Bulgaria in EU | December 19, 2009, Saturday "With the fall of the visa regime, the symbolic barriers in our minds are being dismantled too," Macedonia's President Gjorge Ivanov declared at a ceremony at the Bulgarian – Macedonian checkpoint at Gueshevo. Shortly before 10 am Saturday, the barrier of Gyueshevo border checkpoint between Bulgaria and Macedonia was symbolically raised to Macedonian President George Ivanov. The Bulgarian President, Georgi Parvanov, graciously welcomed his Macedonian counterpart. "I am glad that we can welcome you on this red-letter day onto Bulgarian territory in connection with the abolition of visa restrictions, and that we were the first to congratulate you," said Parvanov to his Macedonian counterpart. The celebration was held to mark the occasion of the entry into force of the EU visa regime for Macedonian citizens. Parvanov reminded those present that, exactly 10 years ago, the need for visas for Bulgarians had been removed. "The most joyful thing," President Parvanov continued, "is that from now on, athletes and businessmen, cultural figures, young people and citizens of both countries will pass through the boundary without any problems and will communicate between each other." He expressed confidence that a more powerful economic cooperation would be established between the two countries, that they would enjoy more active and cultural contacts, and that these would be only part of the steps forward that both countries would take. "I am sure that the presidential institutions of both countries will be the necessary catalyst between us, so that from now on we can build true European-type relations," Parvanov added. The Macedonian president, Georgi Ivanov replied: "Let's hope that now with this visa liberalization for the region, a different period begins in which citizens of both countries will have much in common, will exchange ideas, business contacts and new friendships." According to Ivanov, this was a positive sign that provided a positive energy, not only for Macedonia and Bulgaria, but for other countries that had endured problems inherited from the past.  The Presidents of Macedonia (l.) and Bulgaria (r.) symbolically raise the joint border barrier, to celebrate the lifting of the EU visa regime for Macedonia. Photo by BGNES |
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Post by TsarSamuil on Dec 20, 2009 23:25:12 GMT -5
Bulgaria President Congratulates Serbia, Montenegro Counterparts on Visa-free Regime.
Novinite.com
Bulgaria in EU | December 19, 2009, Saturday
Bulgaria’s President, Georgi Parvanov, has congratulated the Presidents of Serbia and Montenegro on the occasion of the abolition on Saturday of the EU visa regime for citizens of Serbia and Montenegro.
The Bulgarian President sent telegrams to President Boris Tadic of Serbia and to Filip Vujanovic, Montenegro’s President, according to the Presidential press center.
In both telegrams, President Parvanov congratulated the peoples of both countries on this historic day, when the borders of European countries reopened for them, and emphasized that this was a crucial step in the process of integration of the Serbian and Montenegrin citizens to the European Union.
Parvanov also expressed his joy at the fact that the temporary barriers that were hampering human contacts between citizens of Bulgaria and Serbia and Montenegro had been removed.
The president declared that the cancellation of the visa regime would boost economic cooperation, cultural exchanges and tourism, and would create favorable conditions for further expansion of relations between Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro.
The Bulgarian President wished Boris Tadic and Filip Vujanovic renewed success on the road to full integration of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro into the European Union.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Jan 14, 2010 12:51:31 GMT -5
Barát: Slovakia has adopted the euro with admirable ease.
Spectator.sk
11 Jan 2010 Beata Balogová Business
The Slovak Spectator spoke to former government plenipotentiary for the adoption of the euro Igor Barát about Slovakia’s first year living with the new currency.
The Slovak Spectator (TSS): How has Slovakia come to terms with the adoption of the euro?
Igor Barát (IB): Slovakia has adopted the euro with admirable ease and without problems. No systemic problems or complications have emerged. The available surveys show that even the subjective perception of the switch to the euro is significantly positive, which make Slovakia an exception [among countries which have adopted the currency].
TSS: What have been the greatest challenges and the most difficult aspects of the process?
IB: There have certainly been numerous challenges and I would find it difficult to name them all so I will list only the most significant ones: first of all meeting the Maastricht criteria, which required keeping inflation and the public finance deficit low. It also was extremely difficult technically to secure the minting and distribution of coins, and bringing in and distributing the bank notes along with setting all the banking and other information systems.
The information campaign itself wasn’t an easy task either; not as much the technical aspect, but rather the fact that it was necessary to challenge many myths and beliefs germinating from fear of the unknown, for example of price hikes, psychological shocks, etc., which people believed would threaten Slovakia but none of which actually materialised. But we had these issues on the table on a daily basis and had to continuously and patiently explain them.
TSS: Which are the problems and difficulties that still prevail in association with the adoption of the euro?
IB: Based on the information I have there are no problems or difficulties. There are some topics that are being kept alive artificially by the media, for example the small cent coins or the continuation of dual display [pricing, in euros and Slovak crowns]. None of them presents a real problem in practice.
TSS: For which population group has it been most difficult to accept the new currency?
IB: I do not have any information that anyone has had difficulty with switching to the new currency.
TSS: According to a recent survey, seven out of ten Slovaks would like to see dual display pricing remain in place. What is your response to that?
IB: According to a different survey 99 percent of people would like, for example, to be relieved of the obligation to pay taxes [laughs]. The survey question itself is suggestive and the result does not deliver much. People would certainly like to have on the tags also prices in US dollars, Czech crowns, Hungarian forints, and Polish zloty so that it would be even easier to compare. Anyway, this past Saturday in Austria I was given a ski pass and the price was indicated in Austrian schillings – this is eight years after Austria adopted the euro. While it is of course no longer obligatory, anyone can continue the dual display as long as they wish.
But if our people are able to do their shopping in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and anywhere else in the world in the local currencies and are able to derive from the often very complicated calculations the price quite intelligibly, I do not see any reason why they should not be able to do so at home. I do not know anyone who today would not understand values in euros. And even if they do not exactly understand, the longer they have help in the form of conversion to Slovak crowns the longer they will take to get used to the euro. But really, it is an insignificant topic. I am 100-percent sure that no customer would leave a store and go to a competitor only because he does not find price tags with dual display while the competitor has them.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Jan 15, 2010 10:10:45 GMT -5
Sarkozy says burka 'not welcome' in France.
BBC.co.uk
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Nicolas Sarkozy did not explicitly call for a ban on the burka.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has reiterated his view that the full burka is "not welcome" in France, as a debate continues on whether to ban it.
A parliamentary report on the issue is due out at the end of January.
Mr Sarkozy did not explicitly call for a ban, saying "no one should feel stigmatised" by any eventual law.
His UMP party is to put forward a bill this month banning the wearing of the Islamic veil in public, as a means of defending France against "extremists".
Mr Sarkozy said the first step should be for parliament to adopt a resolution that would unequivocally condemn the burka - and then move on to considering a ban.
He said no decision should be made until parliament hears the results of a six-month commission on whether a law banning such garments from public places was needed.
The results are expected to be published by 27 January, and the commission's head, communist MP Andre Gerin, was quoted on Wednesday as saying the next step would be a debate on any such law.
Home to Europe's largest Muslim population, France in 2004 banned burkas and other "conspicuous" religious symbols in state schools and by public employees.
Last summer, French MPs held hearings on whether to ban the burka - the full Muslim veil, which covers the body from head to toe.
France's opposition Socialists are against a law banning the veil - although they remain firmly opposed to the garment - saying a ban would be difficult to impose.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Jan 15, 2010 10:49:03 GMT -5
Russia and the Council of Europe share common ground and a future vision. wcd.coe.intStrasbourg, 24.12.2009 - "The Russian Federation is key to building Europe’s future”, Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe declared after his meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow on 23 December. The President confirmed Russia’s wish to strengthen its engagement within the Council of Europe and its commitment to enhance respect for human rights across the European continent. The Secretary General welcomed the signal given by the President of the State Duma, Boris Gryzlov that the Duma will resume the process to ratify Protocol No. 14 to the European Convention on Human Rights in January next year. Russian ratification of the protocol would clear the way for much needed reform of the European Court of Human Rights. During his visit, the Secretary General discussed a wide range of issues related to the work and future of the Council of Europe and to the human rights situation in Russia with members of government, the heads of both chambers of parliament, and leaders of civil society organisations. In his meeting with the Secretary General, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov voiced the need for reform of the Council of Europe, in order to make it more visible, relevant and adaptable to the human rights challenges of our time. The Secretary General has made this reform a central element of his term in office. Concluding his visit, the Secretary General stressed that President Medvedev’s intention to modernise the structures of Russian society and especially its judicial system is in the vital interest not only of Russians, but of all Europeans. “It will consolidate further the common ground of human rights standards and values all over Europe, and the Council of Europe is ready to assist Russia and its President in his efforts”, the Secretary General said.  |
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Post by TsarSamuil on Jan 28, 2010 11:57:05 GMT -5
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Post by TsarSamuil on Jan 31, 2010 10:45:14 GMT -5
This issue gets forgotten too often across teh world...Slavs should eat healthy foods, not something that can god knows what can cause 10-20 years from now...
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Bulgarians Rise in Protest against Genetically Modified Crops.
Novinite.com
Society | January 31, 2010, Sunday
Several hundred Bulgarians protested against the allowing of genetically modified organisms by the country’s legislation.
The protest before the National Library building was organized by the “For the Nature” coalition and an “initiative committee of citizens and parents.”
“We Don’t Want GMO”, “Bulgaria Free of GMO”, and “We Are the Real Environment Ministry”, shouted the several hundred protesters which included a number of mothers with very young kids as representatives of parents’ organizations.
“I am not sure whether the decision to adopt the GMO Act is the result of incompetence on part of the Environment Ministry who might have decided to harmonize Bulgaria’s legislation with that of the EU by liberalizing everything,” said lawyer Svilen Ovcharov from the “Green Advocates” association.
He pointed out that the decision to back GMO in Bulgaria would affect the popularity of all political parties which support it.
Lawyer Ovcharov mentioned that the Parliamentary Group of the ruling GERB party was willing to introduce further guarantees over the allowing of GMO in Bulgaria.
Agricultural producers’ associations – who were also among the protesters – issued a declaration saying that the government was hiding behind EU directives and that the GMO introduction would only serve the interests of a tiny group of privileged people.
They have expressed their extreme concern over the introduction of GMO in the Bulgarian environment. The changes in legislation allow for more GM Crops to be grown in Bulgaria but do not involve changes in the rules on GMO food products in shops.
After gathering before the National Library, the protesters headed for the National Palace of Culture marching along several downtown Sofia boulevards.
The GMO Act is currently between the period of its first and second reading in the Bulgarian Parliament.
On January 13, 2010, the Parliament adopted at first reading the GMO act. According to environmentalists, it is a first step towards allowing GMO in Bulgaria. According to the head of the Agriculture Committee, Desislava Taneva, the law provided for very harsh limitations against the launching of GMOs into the Bulgarian environment and on the Bulgarian market.
The law stipulates that in order to allow a GMO in Bulgaria, an approval would be needed by a special committee of 15 scientists, public debate, consultations with the European Commission, and all other EU member states.
Amidst the initial protests at the beginning of January, Taneva also promised further limitations at second reading – including the approval of the Parliament and not stripping the Environment Minister of allowing a certain GMO if the scientists’ committee decided against it.
In a few months the EU is expected to make the laws on GM Crops and GMO food products harsher, which will mean Bulgaria will again have to change its national legislation.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Feb 8, 2010 12:07:10 GMT -5
Bulgarian Passports for Macedonians: Debunking Myths.
Novinite.com
Milena Hristova
Features | February 4, 2010, Thursday
Macedonians - second-hand people?
Oliver Vodasov has managed to do something many Macedonians dream of – he has built up a successful career in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, a European Union member state.
Even though Macedonia is not a member of the union, Vodasov can freely work as a lawyer in Bulgaria after having been granted citizenship. For this to happen he had to prove Bulgarian ethnicity.
“I was born in the Macedonian town of Negotino and came to Bulgaria to study law in 1997. It is definitely considered more prestigious to study in Sofia as we have more opportunities to develop here, “ says Mr Vodasov.
He confirms that the bigger part of his colleagues at the university remained in Bulgaria just like him after landing a Bulgarian citizenship.
Oliver Vodasov and his colleagues are one of those, who annoy the Macedonian authorities and have given rise to accusations against the Bulgarian state of a covertly expansionist agenda. He however denies he has been encouraged to apply for Bulgarian citizenship or has done so under pressure.
“Bulgaria is the only place in the world where we, the Macedonians, are not second-hand people,” says he. “Do you think I would have worked as a lawyer if I had migrated to Germany?”
Bulgaria grants citizenship to Macedonians who prove Bulgarian ethnicity. The procedure requires providing their family name and birth certificate and filling in complex paperwork. Under Bulgaria's rules, perhaps two-thirds of of Macedonia's population of two million could be eligible for citizenship.
Tens of thousands have applied and nearly 20,000 have been approved since 2001. Acquiring a Bulgarian passport allows the holder to work in many European countries. Since Bulgarian laws allow dual citizenship, there is no need to renounce one's Macedonian documents.
“Not all Macedonian citizens apply with the aim to come and live in Bulgaria or use it as a gate towards other European Union member states,” saya Rayna Mandzhukova, head of the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, a key unit in the process of getting a citizenship as it issues the certificate for Bulgarian ethnicity.
“It is very easy to obtain a passport. Fees are as low as 300 leva, around 150 euros, and the applicant does not have to be in Bulgaria but can go to a Bulgarian embassy,” Mandzhukova says.
The declaration of Bulgarian origin is the most important document at the agency. Mandzhukova denies claims that there is a let-out based on the presumption that “ethnic Macedonian” means “ethnic Bulgarian”.
“If no documentation is available, the agency can not issue a certificate of nationality,” she says.
First step towards Bulgarian consciousness
To prove Bulgarian origin, it is enough for Macedonian citizens just to declare it.
“To be honest with you, I have no doubts that someone who signs a document, saying that he is of Bulgarian nationality, won't take it as an insult if one day someone calls him Bulgarian,” Mandzhukova admits.
Even though the signature is sufficient documentation for the agency to consider the applicant of Bulgarian ethnicity, Mandzhukova goes further than that.
“I believe that this signature is the first step towards the formation of a Bulgarian consciousness,” she says.
And this is what nationalists see as a surge in Bulgarian consciousness, something that the Macedonian authorities strongly object to. Mandzhukova however denies that the state policy is confrontational.
“It is the right of every person to determine his status, we live in the twenty-first century after all!”
Planned amendments to the law for Bulgarian citizenship, which are expected to be approved soon, aim to uproot a new business that has grown up in rural Macedonia, with middlemen collecting hundreds of euros per person for preparing and submitting applications.
Under the legislative changes, the Bulgarian state is obliged to approve or reject an application for citizenship within one year. Currently applicants have to wait on average four or five years to be granted a Bulgarian citizenship.
“I believe that this deadline will restore the faith in the Bulgarian state,” Mandzhukova says. “Romania is much more liberal to those Moldovans who want to be granted Romanian citizenship. They need this passports to travel in European member states, including Bulgaria. Many members of the Bulgarian community in Moldova are forced to get a Romanian citizenship so that they can come and visit their children in Bulgaria. This is absurd, isn't it?”
Queuing for Bulgarian Passports
Virtually every Macedonian of Slavic origin is eligible to claim a Bulgarian passport.
Petar Kolev, 24, from the town of Stip, is one of the many young Macedonians who come to study in Bulgaria each year, taking advantage of the scholarships that the Bulgarian state offers. While in the 90s the number of candidates for Bulgarian universities stood at 100, this figure snowballed over the next decade to about 800 each year.
Petar has been lining up for Bulgarian citizenship since four years ago and unlike Bulgarian authorities and foreign news agencies says that the procedure is far from easy.
“Those who say the procedure is “ridiculously easy” are people who just observe the process and are not a part of it. I applied for Bulgarian citizenship in 2006 and my application is still somewhere among the different institutions that deal with the issue,” Petar explains.
He will graduate in a year and the failure to get Bulgarian citizenship makes him really nervous as the prospect of going back to Macedonia looms.
“I am not the only one who has to wait for five or six years before being granted a Bulgarian citizen. Sometime the applicants get the thumbs down.”
But in Macedonia suspicions remain. The tortuous history of the Balkans, old territorial claims and accusations of a covertly expansionist agenda have tensed relations between the two countries.
Bulgaria occupied much of Macedonia three times between 1878 and 1913, regarding it as part of an extended nation. In 1999 each nation renounced any claims to the territory of the other, but Bulgaria has still not formally recognized the existence of Macedonian language and culture. Politicians and media have suggested more than once that the Bulgarian state has a hidden goal of an ultimate “reunification”.
“It is only natural that the Bulgarian state takes care of the Bulgarian communities abroad, just as Romania and Hungary do. Nobody has the right to reprimand Bulgaria for the policy it leads regarding the ethnic Bulgarians in Macedonia,” says Mr Vodasov.
The peak in applications for Bulgarian citizenship from Macedonians – about 40,000 - came in 2004, three years before the country joined the European Union. It is too early to say whether the visa-free travels for Macedonians across the European Union will weaken the interest in Bulgarian citizenship.
“It is only a small part of Macedonians who get a Bulgarian passport to go to Europe. Most of them stay here in Bulgaria, others return to Macedonia. There is no reason in saying that Macedonians consider Bulgarian passports as entries to the European Union,” says Mr Vodasov.
“The Macedonian media reports, which say whole regions in Macedonia are threatened with depopulation, are absurd.” he says.
More Security
Macedonians strive to obtain Bulgarian citizenship for a number of reasons – to migrate to Bulgaria, to travel and work freely across the European Union and also due to the faith in the protection that the Bulgarian state can give them.
“I would risk saying that this emotional factor is the most important and most often cited reason,” says Mandzhukova.
She vehemently denies that the real motives are more pragmatic.
“To say that Macedonians obtain Bulgarian citizenship as a passport to Europe is a stereotype that gives a very distorted reflection of the truth,” she says.
According to her the influx of Macedonians to Bulgaria did not increase significantly after the country's accession to the European Union on January 1, 2007.
“The first signs f the hype came much earlier when Bulgarian institutions agreed that the document our agency issues is enough to claim Bulgarian origin. This is when the real increase in applications came due to the streamlining of the process.”
While in Macedonia many Macedonians try to cover the fact that they have signed such a declaration.
“Well, certainly nobody will shout it at the top of his lungs. But first of all if someone considers what the Macedonian authorities think important, he would not sign the declaration in the first place, “ Mandzhukova says.
Does everyone who declares Bulgarian ethnicity really believes in it?
“True, some of them do not believe in it, but they believe that the Bulgarian state can and will protect them when the need occurs.”
She however is not willing to talk on the subject.
“When the need occurs, the first to know about it are the Bulgarian diplomats in Skopje and Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry,” is her concise answer.
The list of those people features Dragi Karov, Spaska Mitrova (pictured below) and a number of others whose involvement in minor accidents has been criminalized “thanks” to their Bulgarian passports.
“It seems that the Macedonians who have a Bulgarian passport feel more secure.”
Emotional Bond
“I chose Sofia because it is more prestigious and because I feel emotionally attached to Bulgaria, “ says Petar and adds, quite self-confidently, that he speaks for most of the Macedonian students here.
For the sake of this emotional bond, which he half-heatedly attributes to the good grasp and belief in the version of history presented in Bulgarian books, many Macedonian students decide to swallow the bitter pill of leading the life of poor students away from their parents and at a place where living standards are three times higher than their birthplace.
Even though study in Bulgaria remains a sensitive subject, Petar Kolev is not afraid to give his name to journalists, saying this has never caused him problems when he goes back to Macedonia.
“Nobody can blame us for wanting to drink water from the source. I don't want anyone to teach me or interpret for me events that happened a hundred years ago,” Petar adds.
Even though Bulgaria was the first state to recognize the independence of the Macedonian state, many Bulgarians think that, deep down, their neighbors, are Bulgarians.
Petar himself confirms that view.
“This is where we feel at home,” he says.
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