Skopje, 16 February 2025 (MIA) – Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski at a Munich Security Conference (MSC) panel discussion on Saturday spoke about the new challenges NATO is facing, Macedonia’s plans in the sphere of energy and future relations in Europe.

PM Mickoski said he wasn’t surprised by the speeches at the MSC and certain “winds of change,” the government said in a press release yesterday.

“Talking about NATO, do not forget that my country, in order to join NATO, had changed the name. When talking about concessions and double standards, we shouldn’t forget this. Our commitment to NATO cannot be put into question, with much suffering and humiliation, we joined NATO,” Mickoski said adding he wasn’t surprised by the latest developments and announcements by the American administration. 

When talking about double standards in politics, he said, the Macedonian issue should be taken into consideration because its candidate status cannot be turned into membership for two decades because of artificial issues that are being opened. 

“I’ve heard voices in Munich about interference in domestic issues. When we changed our name, when we changed our currency or when we changed our constitutional name, what was that? Wasn’t it interference in domestic issues and why nobody was vocal about that? Even now, we’re faced with a demand to change the Constitution again if we want to start negotiations with the EU. What is that? Isn’t it interference in domestic issues,” Mickoski asked, said the press release.

We are part of Europe, he stressed, and we want to apply European values, but what is happening is something completely different. 

“We’re witnessing a so called ‘Balkanization of Europe’, instead of the Balkans being Europeanized. Some Balkan countries have introduced Balkan disputes and Balkan values in Brussels instead of the other way round. You said Russia denies Ukrainian identity, language, church. It’s a terrible invasion, that is very wrong in the 21st century. However, at the same time, the parliament of one of the youngest EU members is denying Macedonian identity, Macedonian language, which is an official UN language since 1945 and internationally codified since 1977. Then, what are we talking about? Why is everyone silent,” said Mickoski stressing that Macedonia has to have predictability in its EU path. 

As regards energy plans and Macedonia being a crossroad, the PM said it looks like a vision for the future of North Macedonia having a huge potential, stated the press release.

“To be a landlocked country could be seen as a shortcoming, but the approach to using the geographical location through corridors 8 and 10 is very strategic.

“Corridor 8, connecting the Black Sea with the Adriatic Sea is crucial not only for the economy, but for NATO too, because it creates a strong transport axis from the East toward the West. At the same time, modernization of Corridor 10 could change the way raw minerals and good traverse through Europe reducing the dependence on distant ports like Rotterdam or Hamburg. If the Thessaloniki port becomes a focal point for transport, North Macedonia will gain a significant economic and geopolitical advantage,” Mickoski said. 

Prime Minister Mickoski, who is accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski, Defense Minister Vlado Misajlovski, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski and Minister of European Affairs Orhan Murtezani, has been attending the two-day 61st Munich Security Conference, which closes on Sunday.

The annual forum brings together world leaders and policy creators to discuss urgent security issues, including the Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Gaza crisis and the changing dynamic of international alliances. 

On Saturday, Mickoski met with the Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, and Croatian PM Andrej Plenkovic.

Also on Saturday in Munich, FM Timcho Mucunski held a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Georg Georgiev, the first since the formation of a new government in Bulgaria.

Photo: Government of the Republic of North Macedonia

Video: PM Hristijan Mickoski's Facebook profile