SKOPJE, April 13 (Xinhua) -- North Macedonia is committed to building an inclusive society for all communities, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on Saturday while addressing an event marking the 11th anniversary of the Bulgarian Cultural Club in North Macedonia.
Zaev said that the Treaty of Friendship, Good-neighborliness and Cooperation reached by North Macedonia and Bulgaria proved that outstanding issues could be easily solved with political will and ideas for progress.
"The past laid the foundations for the future. Under the agreement we pledged to prevent malign propaganda in our countries, fight against hate speech and defeat nationalism," Zaev said.
Zaev underlined the important role played by the Bulgarian Cultural Club in North Macedonia in its mission to promote the cultures of the two countries and to reaffirm the cultural values and traditions of the citizens of North Macedonia that declare themselves as Bulgarians.
In his speech at the event, former Bulgarian president Rosen Plevneliev said that "North Macedonia was for years an isolated country. Now, all Balkan countries are striving for peace, which is made possible only when nations unite their forces and are integrated."
The signing of the Friendship Treaty with Bulgaria in August 2017 resulted in a 16.95 percent rise in bilateral trade in 2018 between the two countries.