Ivan Mihailov is an unread page in Macedonian history, the doyen of Bulgarian journalists in North Macedonia, Vladimir Perev, has told Radio Bulgaria. We asked him why some people in the neighboring country are so afraid of Ivan Mihailov's name.

"This is a part of our history that was banned. Ivan (Vanche) Mihailov's greatness is not only in the fact that he continued the revolutionary struggle of IMRO. Vanche Mihailov is a great fighter for the Bulgarian national cause. He was also the last great fighter against the Serbian invasion in Macedonian lands, against the outright spiritual and material slavery imposed by Serbia.”

Skopje and Belgrade have always worked to erase Ivan Mihailov's name because every discussion about Mihailov, ultimately leads to the topic of Serbian occupation, which is not pleasant for politicians there, he says.

According to Perev, the claims of North Macedonian authorities that the arson attack against the Bulgarian cultural center “Ivan Mihailov” in Bitola was an emotional act of a disgruntled North Macedonian patriot cannot be trusted.

"Singer Lambe Alabakovski is ancestrally linked to the state services through his father and brother. This is just one side of the problem. This is a purposeful act aimed at stigmatizing the entire Bulgarian community in the country. This is an act against the Bulgarian cultural heritage and it would be officially justified by state administration officials, ministers, and police through some false patriotism and emotions.”

There is no patriotism in setting a cultural center on fire but this hides the essence of the problem, as the goal is to destroy the entire Bulgarian culture in North Macedonia, the journalist says. Nobody in North Macedonia believes that Paris has put serious pressure on Bulgaria to accelerate the European integration of North Macedonia, the Macedonian Bulgarian says.

"The journalists and people in politics with whom I meet do not believe that the problem will be solved by the New Year under the new presidency. Everyone knows that North Macedonia is responsible for the problem. The country must meet the conditions and this has always been clear. The Bulgarian Parliament and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences have a firm position and there will be no concessions. That is why we see such outbursts of sheer violence."

Perev says that the act of vandalism against the Bulgarian center in Bitola would have an unexpected effect on its organisers. He gives an example with Slobodan Milosevic's nationalism in the wars for the Yugoslav heritage that led to the development of radical Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the displacement of traditional Islam in the Western Balkans.

Skopje's behavior towards the Albanian community in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia after 1992 also had an unexpected effect. Violations of fundamental rights of Albanians led to the uprising in 2000 and the Ohrid Agreement, so now 55 percent of ministers, deputy ministers and directors in state institutions and companies in North Macedonia are ethnic Albanians, Perev says, predicting that the paradoxical situations would continue to happen.

"This arson against the Bulgarian Cultural Center Ivan Mihailov in Bitola and this hatred and aggression against Bulgarians will motivate Bulgarians to reach high positions in the politics and society of North Macedonia. Bulgarians will seek their constitutional rights and will become ministers, directors, generals in the army. So, every action with the use of illegal and inadequate violence sooner or later leads to defeat for the perpetrator," Vladimir Perev says in conclusion.

English version: Alexander Markov