Historical Debate Between Bulgaria and North Macedonia Over the Remains of Tsar Samuel

In addition to Radev, who stated that future generations can pay their respects to their ancestors, Mitsotakis also stated that the remains "have an invaluable cultural, spiritual and emotional value."

However, Bulgaria is not the only country that claims Samuil.

The tsar, whose giant statue stands in Skopje, has long been a point of dispute between the two neighbors; North Macedonia sees the monarch as its leader.

While the Skopje-based Sloboden Pechat newspaper described the handover as a new historical war, the Albanian newspaper Koha used the headline "Bones are turning, the conflict continues! Samuil is once again between Skopje and Sofia."

Some historians liken this conflict between the two countries to the struggle between France and Germany over Charlemagne.

The joint historical commission of the two countries recommended in 2022 that Samuil be presented as the ruler of the state "which most today's historians accept as the Bulgarian Empire", whose center lies on the borders of today's North Macedonia.

Dimitar Bechev, a researcher at the Carnegie Europe think tank, stated that Samuil occupies an important place in the historical narrative of both Bulgaria and North Macedonia and said, "This initiative aims to emphasize the Bulgarian nature of the Slavic population in Macedonia."

The remains, thought to belong to Samuil, were unearthed during excavations carried out by Greek archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos in the 1960s.

Moutsopoulos had excavated on Agios Ahillios Island in Little Prespa Lake, close to the border between Greece and Albania and not far from the North Macedonian line.

Researchers found the skeleton of a man approximately 1.60 meters tall, as well as pieces of luxurious silk fabric with gold embroidery and bird motifs.

It was determined that the remains belonged to Samuil; It is based on indicators such as the location of the grave, the richness of the clothes, the person's age at death and an old fracture in the skeleton.

Bulgaria officially opened negotiations for the return of the remains in 2007, and the issue has become one of the main agendas of bilateral relations with Athens.

The compromise reached this week also created controversy in Bulgarian domestic politics ahead of the presidential elections to be held this month.

Supported by Radev, current leader Iliyana Yotova, who advocates ties with both Moscow and the EU and NATO, is pushing nationalist rhetoric by launching her election campaign in Veliki Preslav, the former capital of the First Bulgarian Empire.

Bechev stated that Radev aims to attract nationalist voters with the message that he "produces results", unlike other nationalist parties.

While free train services are organized to the capital due to the ceremony, approximately 750 police officers provide security in the center of Sofia.

Public broadcaster BNT reported that the bones attributed to Samuil will be placed in a white sarcophagus made of marble extracted from the Prilep region of North Macedonia.

The ruins will be preserved in the sixth-century Hagia Sophia Church, which gave its name to the capital.

Samuel, who reigned from 997 to 1014, led numerous campaigns against the Byzantine Empire with his brothers, later executing one of the brothers.

Gradually spreading his rule throughout the Balkans, Samuil transformed the Prespa and Ohrid lakes region, most of which remains within the borders of North Macedonia today, into the center of power.

The Byzantine army regained the upper hand from 1001 onwards and inflicted a heavy defeat on Samuel's forces in 1014.

According to historical records, Samuil was the Byzantine Emperor II, known as the "Bulgar Breaker". He died of shock when he saw the return of thousands of his soldiers, who were blinded by Basil's order.

The state he ruled came under Byzantine rule four years later.