North Macedonia has deleted the Bulgarian club "Ivan Mihailov" in Bitola from its central register. This comes after a decision by the Ministry of Justice in Skopje on March 17. It is based on the recent change in the Associations and Foundations Act voted unanimously by the Parliament in North Macedonia. The established Commission on names in North Macedonia also gave a negative opinion on the name of the club and requested that it be renamed.

The chairman of the "Ivan Mihailov" association in Bitola, Lyupcho Georgievski, wrote on Facebook that the Bulgarians in North Macedonia will seek their rights in Strasbourg.

The Bulgarian club was established by Macedonian Bulgarians in Bitola 3 years ago. The official opening in April 2022 was attended by then Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, Vice President Iliana Iotova and Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodora Genchovska. A month later, the club was set on fire and the culprit received a suspended sentence. On January 19, 2023, the secretary of the local Bulgarian association Hristiyan Pendikov was brutally beaten in Ohrid.