Notorious Bulgarian “patriot” Dinko was recently detained at the Bulgarian-Macedonian border. Dinko became popular several months ago with the civil arrest of illegal immigrants near the Bulgaria-Turkey border. This time he was heading towards Macedonia, in order to restore the monument to nearly 2.000 fallen Bulgarian officers and soldiers on Kaymakchalan peak, which was demolished several days ago by a local notorious journalist Milenko. Today Kaymakchalan is situated on Macedonian territory near the border with Greece. In May this year Bulgarian military men placed the monument on that peak, but several months later Milenko destroyed it on the Day of Bulgaria’s Independence –September 22. Few days later Milenko told a Bulgarian TV channel that if Bulgaria decided to place another monument there, he would demolish it as well. Meanwhile, Bulgaria and Macedonia exchanged official stands which proved that disagreement between those two countries was still continuing.

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs alarmed that although Bulgaria has been making efforts in the recent years to organize together with Macedonia commemorative ceremonies in memory of the fallen soldiers, the acts of vandalism in Macedonia still continue. Bulgaria’s Premier Boyko Borissov warned that if Skopje did not react sharply to that vandalism, Macedonia can not rely on Bulgarian support in its EU accession bid. Skopje expressed an official stand shortly after Premier Borissov’s words, but it was not the position Bulgaria had expected. Macedonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the monument on Kaymakchalan was placed illegally and called on Bulgaria to respect the international procedures and regulations.

The National Museum of History started to raise donations, which will be used for the restoration of the desecrated monument on Kaymakchalan and its director Bozhidar Mimitrov said he would bring Milenko to court for destroying a monument of cultural significance. The Bulgarian Cultural Club in Skopje condemned the recent vandal act and called Milenko a vandal and pseudo journalist who is favored and protected by the Macedonian authorities. The club requested from the Macedonian authorities to show the administrative act that declared the monument on Kaymakchalan illegal. It also urged official Skopje to show the administrative act which allowed Milenko to demolish the monument in question.

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described that case as extremely alarming against the backdrop of bilateral negotiations aimed at reaching agreement of good neighborly relations. The relations between the two countries have not improved significantly and the recent act of vandalism in Macedonia only obstructed that process.