Skopje, 10 December 2024 (MIA) - United States Ambassador Angela Aggeler told journalists Tuesday that the announcement of the designations on Monday was a part of a larger program in Washington for International Anti-Corruption Day and is not related to the Government’s statements about judicial reform.

Asked if the announcement is in a way support for the Government’s statements about judicial reform, Aggeler said “absolutely not”, noting that all designations are driven by Washington.

“We do not plan in any way, nor do we control what Washington does in terms of processing different cases, so, while I very much welcome the Government’s statements about reform within the judiciary, this did not have anything to do with it. Many, many of our other actions are in support of necessary reforms every day of the year, and we will continue to do that,” Aggeler said.

She noted that the designations announced on Monday by the US Department of State include people from other countries as well.

“I think it was very helpful to have it happen yesterday on Anti-Corruption Day, but it was not driven by any political considerations within this country, and you will note that there were other countries included, so their timing and their political circumstances also do not come into play,” the Ambassador stressed. 

Photo: MIA Archive