Greater Bulgaria (1870-1998) – a Russian-Bulgarian project for creating a large Bulgarian state in the Balkans, officialized by the presentation of the Act for Creation of Bulgarian Exarchate (11. 1870) under whose jurisdiction was made by the Macedonian Veles Diocese and the two Serbian dioceses – the thread and Pirot. Russia has joined operationalization after the victory in the war with Turkey. With the preliminary Santefan agreement (3,1878), Russia officialized the “Greater Bulgaria” project from the Black Sea to Ohrid Lake, Mount Gramos and Kostur Lake in the West and Danube north to the Aegean Sea. Western European major forces of the Berlin Congress (1878) prevented its creation, but the project became an obsession for Bulgarians. The project for Santefan Bulgaria was built and aided Bulgarian state policy. In 1897, and then in 1904, directly after the Ilinden Uprising, Bulgaria has concluded secret agreements with Serbia on harmonization of politics in relation to Macedonia, without distinguishing the interest territory of “Greater Bulgaria”. For the realization of the high-stage policy, Bulgaria has concluded an agreement on an offensive union (29. ⅱ / 13. ⅲ 1912), with a secret accessory for the division of Macedonia. With states Allied by the Balkan Union entered a war against Turkey with all military and economic potentials. Unsatisfied with the division of the won territories in Macedonia, Bulgaria began the Second Balkan War, which suffered a catastrophic defeat. The First World War entered the side of the central forces, occupied and annexed the Vardar part of Macedonia (and eastern Serbia), declaring the unification of Bulgaria and the realization of the Santefan program. After the defeat in the war, Bulgaria with the Neja Peace Accord (1919) Bi-La forced to give the Strumica region of Macedonia, and the Bulgarian “Western provinces” was granted to Serbia, that is, the state of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenians. In the Second World War, Bulgaria approached the covenant of fascist forces, occupied and annexed the majority of Macedonia. After the 9th September state overwhelming and after the coming of power of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Bulgaria declared the abandonment of the high-state policy of the monarchical regimes; He welcomed the creation of the Macedonian national state in the Vardar part of Macedonia – Democratic Federal Macedonia in the Yugoslav Federation and recognized the Macedonian people, nation and language. The Macedonian people in the Pirin part in Bulgaria recognized cultural autonomy in the period to the resolution of IB (1948), in the so-called “Dimitrovski period” in Bulgaria. Then the Bulgarian communist state leadership again returned to the policy of the Bulgarian character of Macedonia, the Macedonian people and language. PA-DOT of the communist government (1989) did not bring radical changes in Bulgaria’s position in terms of Bulgarian aspirations. Bulgaria (first) recognized the independence of the Republic of Macedonia, but denied and deny the Macedonian nation, history and language. The day of the sub-writing of the Santefan Preliminary Peace Accord (March 3) was declared a national and public holiday. In the Bulgarian National Doctrine, published in 1997 and 1998, the Macedonian people are treated as a Bulgarian population outside the state of Bulgaria. Bulgaria and directly before and with entry into full-fledged EU membership does not recognize the existence of the Macedonian national minority in the Pirin part of Macedonia. Lit.: Hristo Andonov-Polyan, Santefan Bulgaria, Skopje, 1968; Mihailo Minoski, Macedonia in bilateral and multilateral agreements of the Balkan states, Skopje, 2000; Macedonia in international agreements, and, Skopje, 2006; Vasil Jotevski, the national affirmation of the Macedonians in the Pirin part of Macedonia, Skopje, 1996. M. Min.
Original article in Macedonian language Cyrillic alphabet
Кириличен напис ГОЛЕМА БУГАРИЈА