Washington, 9 July 2024 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, who delivered a lecture at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore on Monday, discussed the country's start of the EU accession negotiations and noted there is no guarantee that Bulgaria has issued its last demand.

"We will not be able to start the negotiations if we do not incorporate in the Constitution several hundreds of our citizens, who are part of the Bulgarian minority in Macedonia. Who can guarantee this is the last demand? There are 14 judgments in the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights that confirm the violation of the rights of the Macedonian community in Bulgaria. Therefore, one asks the logical question, whose rights are being violated?" said Mickoski.

Referring to Bulgaria's veto, the PM said discussions should focus on true goodneighborly relations that work both ways, adding that Macedonian citizens have sacrificed a lot for the European perspective and humiliations must end.

"We are not politicians burdened by allegations of crime and corruption, as some in the region. We will protect our interests, we are prepared to talk with arguments. Macedonian citizens have sacrificed for the European perspective as no one has before," said Mickoski.

He said the economy will be the government's biggest priority, along with a committed fight against crime and corruption.

"There is a big coalition among certain politicians, judges, prosecutors and the business elite, and we must shatter that coalition. On the contrary, we will fail as our predecessors," noted Mickoski.

He also referred to the idea of dissolving the Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors because of their low approval ratings of two percent.

"We must face the problem and provide a solution. There are experts who are against this but no one seems to give a solution. We now have a status quo but we will continue our struggle towards bringing justice and hope," said Mickoski.

On Ukraine, the PM said that the country has provided enormous support.

"We are among the top five contributors per capita, despite not being a big and rich country. We have invested maximum efforts in supporting Ukraine and its people," underlined Mickoski.