Skopje, 25 January 2024 (MIA) – The US Ambassador to North Macedonia, Angela Aggeler, stated Thursday that she is not aware of any specific Russian influence in the upcoming electoral process, although, as she mentioned, it is generally present in the region. She underscored that the most important thing for the citizens in the upcoming elections to educate themselves about the process and the candidates participating in it.

Aggeler said this in response to a journalist's question about whether she has information about potential Russian influence in the upcoming elections, during the event where she, together with the Minister of Education and Science Jeton Shaqiri, signed the memorandum for the implementation of the Fulbright Academic Exchange Program.

“I am not aware of any explicit and specific influence, and I am confident it is there, because it generally is in this region, but I think what’s most important as we move in to this next electoral period is that the citizens of this country ask questions of the candidates, and to reflect when they vote their priorities moving forward. That to me is what’s most important and educating themselves about the process and the candidates going forward regardless of who might be interfering is in my view the most powerful tool they have,” Aggeler said.

Photo: MIA archive