Skopje, 24 August 2023 (MIA) – Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said Thursday that he finds odd the position of VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski that the world and Europe have turned against them regarding the constitutional amendments, stressing that it reminds him of the 11 years of the previous leader of the opposition party. Making claims about global conspiracies, said the PM, only benefits the political career of the person making them and not the citizens or the country.

“I find his position odd. I had an interview with one of the national televisions at the end of last week when I said that what I hear from the current VMRO-DPMNE leader reminds me a lot of the 11 years of the previous leader, that there is some global conspiracy against us. What I heard was that the world and Europe have joined forces against Macedonia. We’ve heard things like this in the past as well. The feelings of the citizens are being roused in this manner, the citizens were afraid that the Macedonians have some great enemy, however we were assured that this is not the case. North Macedonia became a NATO member, we can see how significant this is at a time of a military conflict in Europe,” said Kovachevski.

The PM said that despite all the hysteria and false accusations about the loss of the language and identity, “we have begun EU negotiations with a protected Macedonian language, with a recognized Macedonian language and identity through resolutions in the German Bundestag.”

“So, I believe that a country that has a strategic partnership with the U.S., unlike any other country in the region, a country that is a NATO member, does not in any way benefit, nor do the citizens, from claims that there is a global conspiracy. It only benefits the political career of the person making them,” said the Prime Minister.

Kovachevski stressed that the failure to adopt decisions can only place the country in the waiting room, highlighting that VMRO-DPMNE said they are prepared to wait.

“For eleven years we saw what waiting got us. In 2008, we had a solution with Greece that the Government didn’t accept, after 11 years we received a solution that was worse than the one in 2008. Now we have a clean negotiating framework with a protected Macedonian language, the negotiations are being done in Macedonian, the European legislation is being translated into the Macedonian language. And now is the time when there is a common interest, both from the US and the EU, to continue the European integration so that North Macedonia becomes a full-fledged member of the EU by 2030,” said Kovachevski.

Kovachevski added that there is no alternative to the EU path. 

“We mustn’t allow Albania, Serbia and Montenegro to move ahead of us, because in that case we will remain with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo. We don’t want to be in that group. These are two countries that still haven’t solved the basic issues of their statehood. I don’t want our children, the country of our children to find itself in such company when it comes to the regional and European integrations. This is why now is the time when the decisions have to be made,” said Kovachevski.

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski will meet with the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary, Gabriel Escobar, on Friday. He said the EU, and especially the U.S. support the decisions, which is why Escobar is visiting the country.

“I will meet with him. He is an exceptionally informed person in terms of events both on a bilateral and a regional level, and we will discuss national, bilateral and regional issues that are in the interest of North Macedonia,” said Kovachevski.

Regarding the constitutional amendments, the PM said it is an exceptionally important decision for the future of the country, which is for the MPs to make and which doesn’t affect any identity question of the Macedonian people.

Photo: MIA