The Republic of Northern Macedonia between myths and itself

The article examines the huge discrepancy between state mythology and objective reality in today’s Northern Republic of Macedonia (NRM). 

The intentions and ambitions of Euro-Atlantic integration stated by the former Yugoslav republic are increasingly at odds with the myths built and imposed for several decades, mainly on anti- Bulgarian grounds. For Skopje’s political elite, much of which grew up in the communist Tito’s Yugoslavia, engaging in the process of de- Bulgarianization of Macedonia was a way of life. 

Therefore, for this elite today, building truly good neighborly relations with Bulgaria is painful and difficult to accept. This position of the rulers in the Republic of Northern Macedonia is reinforced by their perception that the path to the European Union is primarily a matter of lobbying, rather than meeting real criteria.