Skopje, 5 March 2025 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Wednesday he did not meet with ex-PM Nikola Gruevski while visiting Budapest for the joint government session, while claiming that former officials from SDSM and DUI did meet him.

"I did not meet with Nikola Gruevski in Budapest, but you would have been informed if I had met him because I am guided by the principle of the most accurate truth. Believe me, when something happens, I say it and have nothing to hide. In the name of this truth I can confirm, and very soon through evidence as well, that many officials from the former SDSM-DUI coalition had met with Nikola Gruevski in Budapest, but were not sincere about this," PM Mickoski told reporters.

On the EUR 1 billion Hungarian loan, the PM said it has led to a 3-percent drop of the country's debt.

"EUR 500 million of this loan have been used to repay a debt, a Eurobond taken in 2018. Today, the country's debt stands at 58.2 percent (of the GDP) and has dropped by more than three percent. This is how responsible this Government is. Regarding the remaining EUR 500 million, half have been invested in projects across the country, while the other half in the business sector, although they presented projects worth EUR 380 million. So, projects were there but maybe they required cheap funds for implementation and job openings. When talking to the chambers of commerce, we set a goal of opening 5,000 new jobs but from what I'm told, this number has doubled. Therefore, I expect the EUR 380 million to reach EUR 500 million, which would be an inspiration for me to seek fresh funds for businesses, because it is obvious that the economy is hungry for money so it can develop, add value and create new jobs, in turn leading to young people coming back to the country, not the other way round," noted Mickoski.

MIA file photo