Orthodox Easter 2019: PMs of Bulgaria, North Macedonia exchange greetings
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov and his Republic of North Macedonia counterpart Zoran Zaev have exchanged warm greetings on the occasion of the Orthodox Christian Easter 2019, a statement by the government in Skopje said.
In his message to Zaev, Borissov expressed confidence that the two of them would, with even greater strength, achieve goodness, love and humility, as gifts of the Easter holiday, towards the benefits of the common European future of the two brotherly nations, the statement said.
Zaev, wishing Borissov and the people of Bulgaria congratulations on the Easter holiday, spoke of the strong commitment and sincere love in the relations between the two countries, and the historic opportunity to promote the well-being of the citizens of both.
The cordial exchange between the leaders of Bulgaria and North Macedonia comes against a background of improved official relations following the good-neighbourliness treaty.
Easter 2019 saw another gesture of reconciliation, with a bishop from the “Macedonian Orthodox Church” accompanying the Bulgarian Orthodox Church delegation to and from Jerusalem on a Bulgarian government aircraft to fetch the “holy fire” in a ritual sacred to Orthodox Christians.
The Bulgarian government aircraft, after stopping in Sofia on its return, flew Bishop Yakov on to Skopje. Specialist church news website Dveri reported that the inclusion of the bishop from North Macedonia in the journey had been at the initiative of the government.