Macedonian Media: EU Road Passes through Bulgarian Mother

Diplomacy | March 13, 2010, Saturday // 11:01|  views

Spaska Mitrova vows to continue fighting her child custody case. Photo by BGNES

Macedonian media pay special attention Saturday to the reaction of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry to the custody case of Bulgarian mother Spaska Mitrova.

On Thursday, the Court in the Macedonian town of Gevgeli ruled to give custody rights to the father of 3-year old-Suzanna, daughter of Bulgarian Spaska Mitrova and Serbian Voislav Savic.

Several media outlets comment on the Ambassador of Macedonia to Sofia, Alexander Vasilevski, being called Friday to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry to provide clarifications about the Macedonian position.

The articles also focus on the official reaction of Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry and cite its spokesperson saying the trial was non-transparent and held in the conditions of a very negative public environment. The publications stress particularly on statements that Bulgaria will interpret the further development of the case as a sign of the progress of the Macedonian judicial system, which as an important requirement on which the EU perspective for Bulgaria’s southern neighbor strongly depends.

The Macedonian Foreign Ministry had issued their own official statement saying a civil trial does not need to become a diplomatic dispute between two neighboring countries. Macedonia is going to refrain from commenting on the court’s decision and believes the estranged spouses need to find common ground for the sake of their child, the Macedonian Foreign Ministry declared.

The publications further point out that Bulgaria is asking for an European court rule for Spaksa; that the current one closes the door for Macedonia to the EU, and talk about the strong support for Mitrova’s cause expressed by political parties in Bulgaria such as the nationalist VMRO and the conservative Order, Law and Justice (RZS)

The TV channel “Alpha” aired a material titled “To Brussels Only through Spaska,” focusing on warnings that Bulgaria wants to block Macedonia’s EU entry over the case.

The young woman, who lives in Macedonia, holds a Bulgarian passport and perceives herself as Bulgarian, was sentenced and served time in a Macedonian prison over charges she did not allow her husband to see Suzanna. She was released on parole, but then the parental rights case began. She has been the cause of diplomatic scandal between the two countries in 2009.

In mid-February Mitrova was allowed to see her 3-year-old daughter Suzanna for the first time in the last year and a half.

Mitrova has been threatened with repression if she does not leave Macedonia. On February 23, Bulgaria’s nationalist VMRO party reported that about 10 policemen in uniform broke in Mitrova's parents house and threatened her that if even one Bulgarian reporter is present at the Wednesday trial, she would have to live through horror much exceeding everything that has happened to her so far.

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