Skopje, 2 September 2024 (MIA) - As a Government we can’t enter a naive process where we only make concessions without having clear guarantees as a country that we will become a part of the European family. Since no one can guarantee us anything, we can’t be as optimistic as we would like to be and that’s why we will lead the two processes for EU membership and completing our domestic tasks in parallel, but we are ready for talks, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Monday.

“Based on what I can hear and witness from these talks is that there is some interest in moving the region forward towards the EU. Our strategic goal remains full-fledged EU membership. We support all these regional initiatives such as the Berlin Process, CEFTA, etc., because we believe that they make it easier for us to articulate our positions, and we need to be precise in that, but our main strategic goal is full-fledged EU membership, something we’ve earned a long time ago,” Mickoski told journalists when asked if he had discussed the intention of adopting constitutional amendments with delayed implementation with European officials.

The PM stressed constitutional amendments with delayed implementation could be a possible solution if the country’s full-fledged EU membership is guaranteed.

“This is one of the possible solutions, but only under the condition that we have a clear guarantee for full-fledged membership in the EU within the frameworks of those promises they made in 2018 that it would last four to five years at most, and we as a Government will do everything to realize the negotiations. But from what I can see and hear at the moment, no one can guarantee us anything. And since this is the case, we cannot be as optimistic as we would like to be, which is why we will lead the two processes for EU membership and complete our domestic tasks in parallel, we will focus on both processes. We will pay greater attention to the process that depends solely on us, which is the completion of our domestic tasks. If a two-way street emerges on the other side, we are here, we are ready to talk,” Mickoski stressed.

Mickoski also told journalists the Government would respond to the closure of the Centre for the Macedonian Language in Greece by providing logistical support, but, he stressed, the Government won’t allow getting drawn into Greece’s internal political discussions.

“This is one more indicator that our side is the only one that cares about good neighborly relations. But it won’t discourage us. I am aware that they need to provoke us so that we react in turn and do something that isn’t related to our interests, i.e., the fulfillment of our second goal – full-fledged EU membership. Once again, our partners in the EU can witness our neighbors’ failure to comply with what has been agreed, even though I am aware they will try to justify it, saying it’s a court order etc. But we will support our people there in their efforts to seek their rights. As politicians, we can provide logistics, the European Court of Human Rights exists as well, etc., so they will absolutely have our support. We won’t react like in the past. We are aware that our neighbors will do everything to draw us into their internal political discussions and raise Macedonia as a topic, but we are responsible, mature and we won’t allow this. We have our goal, we have our interest and will move to achieve it,” Mickoski said.

The Appellate Court in Kozani, Greece, recently adopted a decision abolishing the registration of the Centre for the Macedonian Language in Florina. The Centre’s activists said they would make use of all legal means at their disposal and appeal the decision at the Greek Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

The Centre was established with an approval by a Greek court in 2022 as a nongovernmental organization/association. It became the first registered and recognized organization by the Greek state bodies that directly nurtures the Macedonian language in the country. In March 2023, the Primary Court in Florina officially dismissed several requests and lawsuits to abolish the initial decision approving the organization’s registration. 

Photo: MIA