Skopje, 16 June 2023 (MIA) - Instead of wasting time on new face-offs and leaders' meetings outside the political processes, the citizens and the state need unity, in order for the country to continue on the European path," Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said on Friday. 

"The European path is not a path in itself, nor is the decision a decision in itself, it is one of the steps to achieve the country's second goal - EU membership after the NATO membership," Kovachevski said in an interview with Kanal 5 TV. 

He added that therefore all political stakeholders in the country should be committed to the process of constitutional amendments, regarding which there's encouragement, trust and support from all member states of the European Union, as well as from the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament.

"What we currently need is continuation of the dialogue at the level of working groups that will need to agree on the details of the process as to how it will take place in the future. Because if the opposition stated their views, i.e. that it has no problem with the inclusion of other parts of nations, including the Bulgarian, in our Preamble - they said that publicly, that they agree to join the Government, they agree to such Government completing the constitutional amendments, opening the chapters, completing the screening, etc. and then go to elections, first with a caretaker Government, in accordance with the law and that the Parliament can make such a decision, then I see no obstacle why the work in the working groups should not continue," said the PM. 

Kovachevski added that the constitutional amendments are regulated according to the legal procedure, and they are currently in the working bodies of the Government, so as soon as their finalization and formalization from a technical aspect and content is completed, they will be submitted to the Parliament where the procedure will begin.

"I convened the leaders' meeting in good will and in order to find a common language, to make this decision together. Because it is not easy for VMRO-DPMNE, as a major party in the country, an opposition party, not to support any strategic decision for the country - neither the NATO membership nor the Negotiating Framework nor the Frontex agreement, where for the first time we have the Macedonian language without any additions, footnotes and clarifications, together with all other EU languages, approved by all EU member countries, including Bulgaria and Greece," Kovachevski noted. 

He pointed out that reaching out for such a unification is the right step.

"I hope that VMRO-DPMNE, who are in favor of the country's European integration and continuing the European path, will manage to speak their voice, express their opinion, and the decisions of the party will be in that direction. Together we will make the decisions that mean a better future for the country, measured in all parameters, if compared to countries that have become members of the EU today," Kovachevski said. 

He stressed that the citizens will benefit the most from the country's EU membership, primarily through higher wages, higher pensions, more jobs and a higher standard of living.

During a visit to Vatasha on Friday, VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski called on Prime Minister and SDSM leader Dimitar Kovacheski for a confrontation in a TV face-off.