North Macedonia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Bulgarian Ambassador Zhelyazko Radukov over the reception of Iva Mihaylova in Sofia, describing the incident as a provocation that undermines trust and efforts to maintain good-neighborly relations.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said Radukov had been told that reports of Mihaylova receiving a high-level welcome in Sofia ran counter to commitments to strengthen relations between the two countries.
The ministry also described the incident as “a direct encroachment upon the country's legal system and sends a wrong message regarding adherence to judicial procedures and the principle of equality before the law.” It added that “nationality or the possession of another citizenship should not serve as grounds for immunity from accountability before competent institutions.”
The Bulgarian ambassador was reminded that Bulgaria, as a member of the European Union, was expected to respect judicial procedures, institutional cooperation, and the rule of law. The ministry said it would inform international bodies, particularly EU institutions and the Council of Europe, about the case.
Skopje’s diplomatic department reiterated its commitment to relations with Bulgaria based on mutual respect, trust, and European principles, saying it expected the Bulgarian side to demonstrate the same commitment and responsibility.
Speaking to reporters in the Macedonian capital after the meeting, Radukov said Mihaylova’s case had been humanitarian from the outset and should not have become politicized. He also denied that anyone had met or welcomed her in Bulgaria.
Radukov said concern over Mihaylova’s situation was understandable, including on the part of Iliana Iotova, whom he referred to as vice president and a mother. He said she would probably meet Mihaylova at some point and was prepared to examine and address any humanitarian case, urging local media to verify the information they published.
The ambassador confirmed that officials at North Macedonia’s Foreign Ministry had expressed concern about the incident. He said he had also conveyed his concerns, as Mihaylova’s presence in Sofia had come as a surprise to the Bulgarian side.
“Naturally, we cannot condone her actions, yet we understand why, driven by desperation, she decided to come to Bulgaria.” Radukov said he understood why she had acted as she did, given what he described as public trust in North Macedonia’s judicial system of just 2% to 3%.
He said legal procedures existed to allow people subject to travel restrictions to go abroad for medical treatment, describing this as a humane practice routinely applied in such cases. However, he questioned why those mechanisms had not been used for Mihaylova because she is Bulgarian.
Radukov also pointed to what he described as conflicting accounts of her medical condition. According to him, North Macedonia’s competent health authority had stated that the treatment she needed was unavailable in the country, while senior political figures maintained that she was receiving adequate care.
The ambassador said he might not agree with Mihaylova’s decision to travel to Bulgaria but understood it in the circumstances. He expressed hope that the case, which he described as fundamentally humanitarian, would not damage bilateral relations.
Legal proceedings are underway in Kočani against Mihaylova, 23, over her involvement in a fatal traffic accident in North Macedonia that injured several people, including herself. She holds citizenship in both Bulgaria and North Macedonia. After the crash in early October last year, authorities confiscated both her passports and prohibited her from leaving Kočani.
The travel ban has prevented her from receiving medical treatment that, according to medical assessments from a hospital in Skopje, cannot be provided in North Macedonia but is available in Bulgaria, Turkey, and Israel. The Kočani court refused to return her documents, and the Appellate Court in Štip upheld the decision.
It emerged yesterday morning that Mihaylova was in Bulgaria. In comments to Bulgarian media, she and her Bulgarian lawyer, Nikolay Dimitrov, said they had crossed through an official border checkpoint and that she had presented identity cards issued by both countries. North Macedonia’s Interior Ministry, however, said its Border Police system contained no record of her departure.
This morning, the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Kočani informed the court that Mihaylova had breached the precautionary measures imposed on her. Prosecutors subsequently requested that the existing restrictions be revoked and that she be placed in custody, citing a risk of flight.