President Iliana Yotova met today with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and told him about the situation faced by ethnic Bulgarians in North Macedonia. Their conversation took place on the sidelines of the general political debates during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, the president's press office reported. Yotova explained to Türk that people of Bulgarian origin in the neighboring country still face pressure from institutions and are discriminated against because of their ethnicity.

"It is unacceptable that in the 21st century people are removed from their jobs or denied access to university because of their origin, or beaten because of their Bulgarian heritage. North Macedonia is also about to bring into force a retroactive law that will violate their freedom of association," the president said.

Yotova told Türk about the case of Iva Mihaylova, a 23-year-old woman holding dual Bulgarian and North Macedonian citizenship. She is facing court proceedings in Kocani and, as a result, cannot receive medical treatment in Bulgaria. The president said Bulgaria has proposed two options: either Iva receives treatment in Bulgaria, or a Bulgarian medical team travels to consult with her in North Macedonia. Skopje has accepted neither option.

Last week Yotova had also raised the case of Iva Mihaylova with Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, the president's press office recalled.

Yesterday, Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova spoke with Bulgarian journalists. The Bulgarian delegation is taking part in the general political debates of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. According to her, no bilateral meeting with the North Macedonian delegation is scheduled.

During her meeting with Türk, Yotova commended him for his active work in defending human rights. "Human rights are not a given, and we must constantly fight for them, especially in the context of the conflicts of recent years. Unfortunately, we are backing away from documents already adopted to protect them," the president said. She also raised with the High Commissioner the issue of protecting human rights in the age of artificial intelligence, saying that as technology advances, appropriate policies must be developed alongside it.

Finally, Yotova pointed out that Bulgaria stands as an example of a good ethnic model in Europe.