Skopje, 9 July 2025 (MIA) - We remain proud, with our heads held high. Today, Bulgaria worked against us. Today, the world saw what challenges and injustices we face as a country and people in the 21st century. Today, straightforwardly and in plain sight for all, we can tell Europe that the truth has come to light, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski told an extraordinary press conference on Wednesday. 

Mickoski said the country is on the right side of history, adding "and we have seen that Bulgaria can also fail at being on the right side". 

"Macedonia is blocked on the European path by Bulgaria, not since now, but since 1990. It has a clear agenda and plan, it is guided by the thought of destroying the Macedonian nation and identity. But, let's leave a trace of the truth. This is our Krushevo Manifesto, we must mobilize with all our friends and allies. This is a fight for fundamental justice and values. But this fight neither begins nor ends today, all these hurdles, no matter how tragic they are for Macedonia, have a successful dimension," Mickoski said commenting on the vote on the country report in the EP. 

He pointed out that there is nothing more important to him than Macedonian interests, adding that he will not allow another betrayal.  

"I am not interested in any political career. There is nothing more important to me than Macedonian interests. I want to stress, and be clear for our people, that we will not allow another betrayal, we will not allow deviation from Macedonian national interests, and that is a vow that VMRO carries in its code," Mickoski stressed, adding that he is only an incumbent official and leader of this party, who has taken responsibility to serve his people and resolve problems, to improve the lives of his fellow citizens.

According to him, there are good indicators that give us optimism, noting that it is still very early for the people to feel it. "And I am aware of that, but with work and results, and above all with a responsible, sincere and honest attitude like this, by telling the truth and things as they are, I am optimistic that better times are coming for Macedonia," he said.

Mickoski thanked friends from the EU who are helping and who, he noted, still believe in us and our values ​​as part of the European family.

"Dear friends from the EU, thank you to all of you who have helped us, and who are helping us, and who still believe in us and our values ​​as part of the European family. We will not disappoint you. We will work together with you on reforms, on development, we will try to move the country forward towards the EU. This is the new path that we will open, based on principles and values, because the membership of my homeland in the EU is not only a goal, it is also our need, but also a common need. And we will work with commitment with all our European friends to persist on the European path, and not to allow various countries or structures that do not wish well for my country and its geostrategic position and future to succeed in their plans," said the PM. 

He pointed out that this struggle is and will be difficult, but he is ready to persevere. Together in unity here and with friends abroad, we will succeed, he said. 

"We are a small country, with a big heart. We are the cradle of culture in the Balkans and there is no denying that will take that away from us. We respect our neighbours and we will continue to do so even at times like this. We will try to find solutions through dialogue, but they will achieve nothing without respecting us. And that is a key mistake of our prominent neighbor in relations with us. When they start respecting us, they will be our closest and best friend. But even then and until then, we will speak to them and to everyone with the language of arguments," said Mickoski. 

He reiterated that Macedonia is blocked on its European path by Bulgaria, pointing out that in order to understand the blockade, we must first realize that the blockade did not start today, nor will it end today.

"That blockade began back in 1990 when the Bulgarian state, at times of embargo, wars and lack of money in the former Yugoslavia, as well as the problematization of our state by Greece, made a gesture recognizing the uniqueness of our state, but with one limitation, that the language and the people are not recognized. Language is the basis of a nation in all theories, and hence Bulgaria recognized the country, but did not recognize the existence of our nation. Our politicians, leaders should have seen even at the time that our eastern neighbour had a completely different agenda. I am convinced that many of them were aware, but with the difficult challenges that our country was facing and the Greek issue as an issue that leaves an undefined country registered in the UN, as a country with a potential conflict, due to the Resolution at that time in the UN under which the name dispute with Greece was registered, our politicians decided to go step by step, and trace the path of stability and integration through preserving peace. And that is legitimate. Whether the thesis 'time works' was correct, history will judge, but the fact is that today may not be the time, but Bulgaria that worked against us," said Mickoski. 

He added that "a few months ago, when the idea first emerged that was supposed to bring Bulgaria out in the open and expose its hidden intentions so that they would be obvious to everyone, even to the most sceptical, who still found energy and motives to suggest to us that the inclusion of the Bulgarian minority in our Constitution was and is the only problem."

"We started a series of activities and diplomatic actions to impose a topic that would contribute in the long-term to finding a solution to our problem. We had no ambitions or false hope that we would succeed, we know the relations in the Union, we know the trade practices, and the way of decision-making. We know that in the EU there is often a conflict between values ​​and the pragmatism of politics, the trade of destinies, and we are not naive at all. Everything was perfectly clear to us. No one was naive that everything would be resolved now and today. That is why I also remind you of the recognition of the state by Bulgaria in the 90s as its first neighbor. That, combined with all their activities and actions all these decades ago, historically speaking, in the late 19th and 20th centuries, is a clear indicator to us that they have a clear agenda and plan, and that they are guided by the thought of destroying the Macedonian nation and identity. The sceptics will say - who cares that the Bulgarians are revealed, when they succeeded in their intentions, and European politicians were aware of it before making that proposal. That is true, we knew that. I will answer, ultimately, no one should care, but we should care that the world sees, that the peoples of the world see what challenges and injustices we are facing as a country and people in the 21st century. This is our Krushevo Manifesto, we must mobilize with all our friends and allies. This is a fight for fundamental justice and values," said Mickoski.

According to him, all these hurdles, no matter how tragic they are for Macedonia, have a successful dimension.

"And that is the fact that today, and in plain sight of all of Europe, we can say that the truth has come to light. I can also say with regret that all those who, I am aware, were sweating while inventing excuses during our meetings for alleged reforms that should be adopted and for an alleged Bulgarian minority that should be included in the Constitution, have also come to the surface. For technicalities - running away from the essence. They are, and were, all aware of the truth. However, these are top-caliber politicians, unlike Bujar, Artan, Kovachevski, Marichikj, Venko, and all the rest. And they knew perfectly well what the background to these demands was, related to the latest proposal and our integration into the EU. To fulfill conditions that no one has, everyone knew but now we have just confronted them with it in the simplest way. And now they have it on their plate and that is why I do not want anyone ever and no one to mention to me that Bulgarian minority is an issue. Those few hundred people who felt like Bulgarians, whether they were in the Constitution or not, are not a problem. We can include them even tomorrow," he said.

However, Mickoski pointed out, the essence is much deeper than that and this was clearly seen with these steps that our eastern neighbour is taking through the European corridors.

"But it will remain remembered for centuries that AFET passed the European report with "Macedonian identity and Macedonian language", Mickoski said.

He also announced a series of initiatives, activities regarding which, he noted, he would expect alliance and unity with the MANU, with the parties of the ethnic communities in the country, with the opposition SDSM and with others, who want to help and show the world that "we are here and that we are still standing despite everything and after everything. We are here, we stand strong, united together." 

The European Parliament adopted Wednesday EP rapporteur Thomas Waitz's progress report on the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on North Macedonia. Earlier Wednesday, 461 MEPs voted in favor of the report, 121 voted against it and 107 abstained from voting. Ahead of the vote on the report, the EP adopted amendments to it, including the one submitted by MEPs Andrzej Halicki on behalf of the PPE Group, Kathleen Van Brempt on behalf of the S&D Group and Dan Barna on behalf of the Renew Group deleting the mention of the Macedonian language and identity from the report.

Photo: MIA