Skopje, 30 May 2026 (MIA) - Good neighbourly relations are a two-way street. You cannot dance alone – either you dance with a partner or you have no partner. I am concerned about the beginning of the new government in our eastern neighbour, but I hope that over time reason and rationality will prevail. I am aware that they have many internal problems. I see that they will likely be the first country to face measures from the European Central Bank because they have falsified and manipulated reports on the budget deficit. They have major problems with inflation and the economy in general, so perhaps they are now looking for a new topic, and the best topic is radicalised positions when it comes to the Macedonian question. But we remain patient, we will work and we will win, as we have many times in history,” Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Saturday, commenting on a statement by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova that Macedonia should seek solutions rather than problems and that Sofia will not deviate from the 2022 agreement.

Responding to a journalist’s question, Mickoski reiterated that the country is continuously offering solutions.

“We have been offering solutions all the time. Sofia also has other agreements from the past which, unfortunately, it does not respect, such as the signed resolution on human rights protection. There are also at least 14 judgments from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg that they do not comply with,” Mickoski said.

“They will tell you, ‘you want to join the club we are in.’ We do not want to join the club you are in. But this is blackmail and bullying. If we believe in European values, then we should stand by them. And if they think that in order for us to be there we must accept their demands, then this government will not play that game. As long as I am prime minister, until we see delivery from their side, we will not move a single millimeter,” he added.

Photo: MIA archive