Skopje, 9 March 2025 (MIA) - Former President Stevo Pendarovski voiced concern late Saturday over the government's positioning in relation to the new US administration.

“It’s very important how we, as a small country located in this region, position ourselves in light of these global changes. Trump disrupted the global balance and disrupted the transatlantic community internally by introducing tariffs and initiating aggressive actions against his largest allies and neighbours. However, what particularly concerns me is the position of our new government regarding the Trump administration. The statement made by our Prime Minister Mickoski upon returning from the United States, that we need to get used to this new normal and that this new normal will overwhelm the world, is a dangerous thesis. The new normal has not overwhelmed America, Canada, Mexico, or the UK...” Pendarovski told Sitel TV, which was also his first interview after his election defeat on May 8, 2024.

We, as a small country, Pendarovski stated, need to think twice before standing first next to him and telling others to line up. I wouldn’t rush, because we are not a world power. Anyone leading the Macedonian state, whether a president or a prime minister, must understand that we are a small country, one of the smallest in the Balkans, and it’s not fitting for us, we don’t have the resources, and we don’t have national interests to be first beside the U.S. and say we are together with the strongest. If the biggest G7 countries, Japan, didn’t stand side by side with Trump after the elections, but are weighing their options, I can’t understand why this rushing is necessary, the former President said.

“I’m not saying, he stated, that we should avoid friendships with the Americans or refrain from seeking their support. I’m only saying that we have two roles in the Euro-Atlantic alliance: we are members of NATO, but we also want to join the EU. I don’t associate this with formal membership; full Euro-Atlantic integration has always been a strategic priority. For the first time in history, we’re seeing both sides of the Atlantic split. We’ll see if this trend continues; it’s possible, but as a small country, we must not take sides, because tomorrow or the day after, the big players will come to some agreement, and they will blame us,” Pendarovski said.

We cannot co-sponsor resolutions on the same side as North Korea and Belarus. That’s amateurism," he said, criticizing the government's positioning towards Hungary.

Regarding the dispute with Bulgaria and the EU blockades, Pendarovski assessed that Macedonia has nothing to offer to the Trump administration to exert pressure on Sofia.

“Trump is a transactional president – the more you pay, the more you get. We don’t have the resources to engage in such diplomatic games, and Bulgaria has a much better geostrategic position,” he emphasized.

Assessing the government’s work, Pendarovski noted that the fight against crime and corruption is proceeding slowly and lacks meaningful results, while also stating that "he’s not sure if the government intends to appoint all prosecutors based on its own criteria."

"It is not democratic for a prime minister to say they will attack the judiciary or dissolve the Judicial Council," Pendarovski commented, adding that, in contrast to the previous VMRO-DPMNE government, which he believes had a solid economic concept, the current government is acting haphazardly and depending on Hungarian credit.

His and SDSM’s electoral defeat, as he pointed out, was due to the campaign being a struggle between two nationalisms, represented by DUI and VMRO-DPMNE leaders Ali Ahmeti and Hristijan Mickoski. However, the main reason he highlighted was the structural weaknesses and lack of capacity, particularly in the second half of their seven years in power, during which many scandals surfaced, and unsuitable people were appointed to institutions. Additionally, the Prespa Agreement, the country's name change, the adoption of the French proposal, and the failure of the Special Prosecutor's Office contributed to the defeat.

Photo: screenshot