Skopje, 12 November 2025 (MIA) - Negotiating or establishing the terms between the government coalition partners should first be done mutually and not through the media, said Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski in answer to a journalist’s question Wednesday.

Asked about expectations ahead of a planned meeting later on Wednesday between the ruling coalition partners to discuss the appointment of new First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment after Izet Mexhiti was elected Mayor of the Municipality of Chair, Mucunski said negotiations are ongoing and will continue in the coming period. 

“I don’t think we should negotiate or establish terms through the media. With full respect to you as the media, I don’t want to be misunderstood, but I think these are issues that we have to agree mutually between us, and only then publish them. That is how trust is built when you operate as a team, as a collective unit working to achieve success,” Mucunski stressed.

Mucunski said over the past year the ruling coalition has cooperated successfully on all challenges and had the joint capacity necessary to overcome them. The FM expressed confidence that an agreement will be reached in the coming days, noting it would focus on quality instead of quantity.

“I am convinced that an agreement will be reached in the coming days, which will, above all, aim to increase the government’s efficiency. One thing I think the Prime Minister also stressed recently, let me repeat it – this is not about the number of ministerial posts our coalition partner will get. It is about the capacity of individuals, their knowledge and their experience, and how they will contribute to the institutions they want to lead. We should focus less on quantity and more on quality. This should also be the priority of all coalition partners in the government,” Mucunski said.

MIA file photo