Skopje, 4 February 2025 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Tuesday that the freeze of the USAID programs by the new United States administration should serve as a wake-up call that "we should take care of ourselves and build our own society".

"Any support for improvement of the country's democratic capacities is welcome. Nevertheless, this should serve as a wake-up call that we should take care of ourselves and build our own society, regardless of our political, ethnic, religious differences. This is our home and we are all under the same umbrella. We were born here, we rejoice and grieve here and most of us will end our lives here. We should roll up our sleeves and build a better country," PM Mickoski told a press conference.

Regarding the impact of tariffs imposed by the U.S. on Europe, the PM said this is an autonomous policy of the Trump administration.

"I would refrain from commenting to this policy, because they came out at the elections promoting it, they won and now Trump is the U.S. President," said Mickoski.

According to him, every challenge is an opportunity for a country.

"As long as we see the challenge as an opportunity, we will get that opportunity. If we let someone else defend us and a third party feed us, then the odds are against us. That is why we should unite in diversities, we are all together under the same umbrella and the more we stick together, the stronger the homeland," underlined Mickoski.

Photo: USAID Macedonia Facebook/Screenshot