Ohrid, 7 September 2025 (MIA) - The inauguration of one more section of the Kichevo – Ohrid motorway is firm proof that Macedonia is moving forward, things are being built and the long years of stagnation are being overcome, said Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski on Sunday at the inauguration of the 17-km Klimeshtani – Ohrid section of the Kichevo – Ohrid motorway.

“The Kichevo – Ohrid motorway is of strategic importance for our country. It is the main artery connecting southwest Macedonia with the rest of the country and with Ohrid. A city that is not only our pearl of tourism, but also world cultural heritage. With this motorway, Ohrid and the entire region are receiving new energy for development, new opportunities for tourism and a new perspective for the economy. With faster, easier, and safer travel, this motorway will bring more tourists, more investments, and more opportunities for the local economy. It will cut the time needed to travel, it will facilitate the transport of goods and services and will create room for new businesses and jobs,” the PM said.

The construction of the Kichevo – Ohrid motorway, according to the Prime Minister, has been a “symbol of halted and unfinished things“ for almost a decade.

“The citizens were rightly disappointed. They saw non-functional construction sites instead of roads that can be used. Unfortunately, because of that, many of our compatriots left the country. Today, we are changing that image. Today, we are showing that there are solutions where there was standstill, there are results where there was lack of trust,” Mickoski underscored. 

The Government, he said, is not wasting its time on excuses, but on work.

“This is our vision, a Macedonia of actions, not of excuses. This is proof that we can leave behind the period of stagnation and pave the way for progress. We will continue like this – building, completing what has been started, and launching new opportunities for every region and every citizen,” Mickoski said.

Mickoski said in a year and a half the Government has inaugurated the 25.7-km Gradsko-Farish section, the 25.5-km Stracin-Kriva Palanka section, and the roughly 20-km Vrbjani-Botun section.

“That’s 70 kilometers of new roads and with this section from Kichevo to Ohrid the number will reach 87.5 kilometers. And all of that in less than a year and a half. These are not words, they are actions,” Mickoski added. 

The Prime Minister said the opposition is coming up with lies and will try to come up with many things to harm the Government politically.

“But we have no need to reply to that policy of dark thoughts, a policy that is pushing Macedonia backwards. We will work, we will build, unlike the SDSM and DUI Government, which did nothing for seven years except for stealing. That is the essential difference between the two governments,” Mickoski said.

Photo: Government