Skopje, 12 November 2025 (MIA) – Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, Cvetan Tripunovski, said Wednesday that the opposition should not speculate, as only about 50 agreements from the IPARD program that are in the implementation phase have been halted. 

"Firstly, it is very important to say that there is no selection in the fight against crime. Action is immediately undertaken to stop any corruption in the country without previous announcement, without political pressure, without much public talk or any reactions. Only in this way does a serious government such as the VMRO-DPMNE led government act, and there is no room for additional explanations here. Immediately after taking all the activities, i.e. uncovering this case, the state, through current mechanisms, took action to conduct additional checks on what has been happening in the Payment Agency itself. So, I want to deny the speculations that are communicated to the public that "Brussels is blocking us, the funds will be lost, etc.", which is absolutely not true. On the contrary, our swift reaction as a state in halting all procedures that are currently in the Payment Agency in the area of ​​IPARD funds has been welcomed by Brussels. This is just a control mechanism that will immediately clarify what has been happening in the Agency," Tripunovski told Sitel TV on Wednesday.  

Minister Tripunovski pointed out that only Macedonian institutions are conducting checks concerning everything that has been happening at the Payment Agency, adding that after the checks are complete, Brussels will be notified, the Agency will continue its ongoing activities, and a new director of the Agency will be appointed in the coming days.

Tripunovski assured farmers that there is no cause for alarm, as the Payment Agency will continue its work. He added that checks are only carried out in terms of ​​the implementation of the IPARD Program, not in terms of national payments.

He noted that he has filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office over illegal activities by former Agriculture Minister Ljupcho Nikolovski, but there has been no response so far.

"The creators of all problems, corrupt practices during their time in power, cannot be part of the solutions they offer today. We, as a state, have undertaken a series of actions to determine what exactly happened in the Payment Agency and I do not see any need for help here, because they were the creators of many problems in the past," he said.

On his name being mentioned in terms of a government reshuffle, Tripunovski stressed that every decision of the Prime Minister will be respected.

"The decision on the composition of the government is made by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski. Every decision he makes, whatever it may be, will be respected. As a Minister, my only priority at the moment is to work in accordance with the law, to resolve the problems that we inherited from the previous government, to improve the agricultural sector as one of the pillars of our economy and every communication with any director who was in the field of agriculture is in that direction. However, anyone acting against the law, should be held accountable," said Minister Tripunovski. 

Photo: print screen video