Zagreb, 30 August 2024 (MIA) - In the period to come the country will face two significant challenges – an attempt by internal structures to create instability and an attempt by our eastern neighbor to draw us into their pre-election rhetoric, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski told MIA in Zagreb, urging the Macedonian citizens and politicians not to fall for the provocations.

Mickoski, who is on official visit to Croatia, told MIA that the country “has its strategic goal and knows which path it should step on”.

“We know what we need to do, we know what the citizens expect from us, and we need to deliver what they expect from us and for that we will need to put in hard and honest work every day. So, here in Zagreb my message is – I ask of you let’s strive towards something that is in our interest, let’s not fall into the trap of the interests of certain criminal structures inside the country and let’s not fall into the trap of being drawn into the election campaign and rhetoric of our eastern neighbor,” Mickoski said.

Regarding the statement of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry that the country is moving away from the Euro-integrations due to the calls for renegotiations of the French proposal, Mickoski reiterated that they are trying to involve the country in their election rhetoric and incite a reaction.

“After many twists and turns they’re holding their seventh elections in the last three years in October, and their politicians will do everything to involve us in their electoral rhetoric and incite a reaction from our side which they will then try to use to portray us as the bad guys in front of our friends in the international community, claiming that they are the good guys and that we are practically causing arguments, discord, etc.,” Mickoski clarified.

Mickoski underlined that the citizens want better lives, which, he said, requires structural reforms and rule of law.

Asked if the European Union is inclined to “slightly open the door” on the country’s European path, Mickoski said there is a way if they really want to see the country become a member.

“I said it yesterday and I will say it again today, if there is a will there is a way, this is a famous quote that many more experienced politicians than me have said, and if they [the EU] really want to see us inside, as they say they do, then there is a way,” Mickoski said.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski is paying his first official visit to the Republic of Croatia on Thursday and Friday. In Zagreb, Mickoski met with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Croatian President Zoran Milanović, and the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Željko Reiner. 

Photo: MIA