Bulgaria worried by violence in Macedonian parliament

Bulgaria on Friday expressed concerns over the outbursts of violence in the Macedonian parliament building on Thursday night.

"I am deeply concerned by the tensions in the Republic of Macedonia and yesterday's night clashes in parliament, which have led to dozens of injured, including members of the parliament," Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said in a statement on Friday.

"I call on all parties in the Republic of Macedonia to respect the democratic process and to engage in dialogue," Radev said.

Democracy and the rule of law are the way out of the crisis, he said.

Meanwhile, in a declaration adopted unanimously, Bulgaria's National Assembly also expressed deep concerns about the tension in Macedonia.

Bulgaria hopes that Macedonia and the leading political forces will take action to calm tensions and return to the field of politics, according to the declaration.

"We express support for state unity and territorial integrity" in Macedonia, said the declaration.

Radi Naidenov, Bulgaria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, also expressed concern about the escalation of the internal political crisis in Macedonia.

"We do not accept violence in any form as a way to solve the problems," Naidenov said in a statement. Endit