Page:Bulgarian Policies on the Republic of Macedonia.pdf/59

 and Bulgarian. (By way of comparison it is noteworthy that those in Bulgaria who identify as ethnic Macedonians and non-Bulgarians do not seem to be concerned about any such ‘encapsulation’ in their differentiation from the Bulgarians, and their cause is well represented and publicized internationally.)

1.1.4. Teaching of history using textbooks which thoroughly falsify history and contain insulting qualifications of the Bulgarian state and nation, sometimes bordering on open racism, should discontinue. Bulgaria must insist that the textbooks formally approved by the relevant authorities of the Republic of Macedonia should contain an explicit reference to the Bulgarian national affiliation (accepted by historians) of prominent figures in our common history such as St. Clement of Ohrid, Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria, the Miladinov Brothers and Gotse Delchev.

The education system of the Republic of Macedonia, from primary school to university, is a powerful tool for inciting widespread and strong anti-Bulgarian attitudes and sentiments by implanting the image of Bulgaria as an occupying, assimilatory, and divisive power. Such attitudes and sentiments in turn hold the politics of the Republic of Macedonia as a permanent hostage regardless of political changes or the succession of political factions in government.

It is important to stress that the elimination of falsifications and anti- Bulgarian hate speech in textbooks and in the media will not deprive the Republic of Macedonia of its raison d'кtre. The state may well continue to exist on the basis of its accomplishments and present-day realities without having to project them retrospectively in an effort to create a past which did not happen; it may continue to exist while recognizing its Bulgarian historical heritage, just like Bulgaria recognizes present realities without transferring the past to the present.

1.1.5. Restoration of the destroyed or falsified inscriptions in churches, monasteries, on icons, frescoes, water fountains, bridges etc. in accordance with the relevant international standards and agreements.

1.1.6. Assistance in the restoration, or at least removal of the obstacles to restoration, of the 471 Bulgarian military cemeteries on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia, a particularly sensitive issue for Bulgaria.