Skopje, 23 April 2026 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski says he congratulated Rumen Radev on the win at the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, highlighting the commitment to dialogue and goodneighborly relations.

"I called Radev the next day and congratulated him. The people's will must be respected because it was clear and unequivocal. I wish him a successful term in office and goodneighborly relations. We are always prepared for dialogue, ready to talk and overcome the dispute, which I don't know where it came from, although their official position is that the previous government accepted some proposal and a solution was found. I don't think this is enough, because if it was, the issue would be solved by now. Therefore, I am ready to sit down and talk for a sustainable solution that will lead to Macedonia's EU integration in the long term, something that neighboring Bulgaria would gain most from," PM Mickoski told Sitel.

Mickoski says the Government has been offering creative solutions for almost two years since it took office.

"We have continually asked for meetings and we are talking with our partners in Brussels. But we are facing a dilemma, because when asking for a bilateral meeting through our partners in Brussels, they say we should talk directly. When we say 'ok, let's talk directly', they say 'this is a European proposal'. This is confusing. Nevertheless, we have to do our homework related to the reform agenda and turn Macedonia into a better place to live in. In this regard, I expect to see big progress in the delivery of results when the next European Commission report comes out very soon. We have worked continually on meeting the required indicators that are part of the reform plan. This is up to us and no one else," says Mickoski.

He adds that work is needed on reforms instead of begging.

"We will not go far if we think that begging is the way. I know it is hard, there are many problems, I know that patience is thin and people are impatient. Decades have gone by and many political elites have completed their terms under the suspicion of crime, corruption and failure. We work on solving problems without creating new ones. It will take time, but what I cannot promise is to accept something that goes against my beliefs, because I think that what the previous authorities did is the biggest capitulation for the Macedonian people on record," says Mickoski.

The PM refers to two examples that confirm the blockades that the country has been facing, the first being the action plan on minorities, which was drafted together with a human rights expert from Strasbourg.

"Only one country is blocking that plan - our eastern neighbor. Even if we decide to make the constitutional changes, we cannot move forward unless that document is adopted. Another example is the following: at the invitation of our strategic partner, the United States, we applied for associative membership in the Three Seas Initiative, and again we are blocked by Bulgaria. The situation is not naive and only naive politicians think they will solve the situation if they sign a blank piece of paper or get down on their knees and beg," says Mickoski.

MIA file photo