Bulgarian Cultural Club Secretary, who was beaten in North Macedonia, is transported to Bulgaria for treatment

The Secretary of the King Boris III Bulgarian Cultural Club in Ohrid, North Macedonia, Hristian Pendikov, who was beaten last night, was transported to Bulgaria in the government airplane Falcon on January 20. Two doctors and a nurse from the MMA accompanied him. His condition is serious and he is to undergo a surgery, he told BNT.

The attack on 21-year-old Hristian Pendikov happened last night by three people.

According to MEP Andrey Kovachev, he was beaten and attacked because he is Bulgarian. The Foreign Ministry and President Rumen Radev condemned the act of violence and recalled that the stated ambitions of the Republic of North Macedonia to join the European Union are at odds with reality.

Before being brought to Bulgaria, Hristian Pendikov told BNT that he was in a serious condition and was about to undergo a surgery.

The attack on the 21-year-old Hristian Pendikov took place last night at 22:00. He was in a restaurant with a friend. The attackers were three and have already been arrested and identified:

"The three attackers threatened to kill him because he is Bulgarian, because there is no place for Bulgarians in Ohrid and in the most brutal way they harassed and cursed him, I would say in this way," said Andrey Kovachev.

The attackers inflicted severe injuries on Pendikov, who was in the hospital in Ohrid with many cracked vertebrae, ribs and a broken jaw.

"And, of course, finally the authorities in Macedonia should take very decisive measures to overcome this atmosphere of hatred, discrimination and threats against anyone who openly declares their Bulgarian identity and their Bulgarian origin," said Andrey Kovachev.

The presidential administration issued a statement saying:

"In the opinion of the President ,the ambitions for accession to the European Union declared by the Republic of North Macedonia and the commitments assumed to carry out reforms and assert democratic standards in that country are at odds with the reality in which the Macedonian Bulgarians live in our south-western neighbour. President Rumen Radev will raise again the issue of the observance of the rights of Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia with the heads of State and government in the European Union, as well as with the European institutions and the Council of Europe, “the Press Secretariat of the President said

Caretaker Prime Minister Gulub Donev had a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovacevski and asked for assistance in transporting Hristian to Bulgaria.

After a conversation with Gulub Donev, Kovachevski expressed readiness to investigate the beating in Ohrid/

The caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke with his counterpart Bujar Osmani.

The foreign ministry also said that the attack is a clear example of the systematic absence of adequate response and commitment from North Macedonia to ensure the security of its own citizens.

Bulgaria expects immediate action to be taken to identify, bring to justice and punish the perpetrators of the crime.

The Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia to Bulgaria was summoned to the Foreign Ministry this afternoon. She was handed a note of protest regarding the serious criminal act committed against a citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia with Bulgarian identity, Hristian Pendikov.