Bulgaria wades into Macedonia name dispute

SKOPJE, Macedonia – Bulgaria has waded into a 25-year-long dispute between Greece and Macedonia regarding Macedonia’s name, saying that issue also concerns Bulgaria.

Macedonia and Greece are in a renewed push to resolve their dispute. Greece objects to its northern neighbour using the name, saying it implies territorial claims on its own province of Macedonia. One solution being discussed is to add a qualifier such as “new,” ”upper” or “north” to the name.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said Friday after meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Gjorge Ivanov that any name agreed on with Athens should not include “a geographical qualifier that is related to the territory of Bulgaria.” He did not explain further.

The historical territory of Macedonia included lands that are now in Greece, Bulgaria and the country that calls itself Macedonia.