English
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said that the extent of his visit to Wahington will be revealed in the coming period, as he detailed the meetings he had during the Trump inauguration, as well as some that are not yet disclosed. Mickoski was the only Balkan leader in DC for the inauguration, and met officials from Presiden Trump’s inner circle as well as US and Macedonian – American businessmen, but the visit prompted angry reactions from SDSM and SDSM affiliated media outlets.
I follow the developments at home, and I understand what the opposition is trying to do. They want to reduce the visit down to the invitation. But the essence of the visit will be seen in the coming period, Mickoski said in an interview with the MRTV Macedonian Television conducted in New York.
The Prime Minister also addressed the criticism from Greece, where the Foreign Ministry reacted angrily to his comment made at a meeting with the Macedonian diaspora in New Jersey, that the “Macedonian question has not been closed yet”. Greece insists that the “question” has been closed with the imposed Prespa Treaty.
It would be irresponsible and treasonous on my part as President of the Macedonian Government if I ignored the problems or responded to them in a supplicant manner. No. So long as I live, I will be engaged with these issues and I will fight to correct the injustices. And after I’m gone and I no longer hold this position, it will be up to the generations coming after me. We must leave an institutional trail that we fought, that we did not abandon the field and did not betray the Macedonian people and the Macedonian identity, Mickoski said, adding that there is an open issue of the Macedonians living in Bulgaria, which has been confirmed with a number of sentences of the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg that this community is denied the right to assemble and organize.
Mickoski said that he has not yet been in contact with the newly elected Government in Bulgaria. He urged it to make sure that bilateral issues are not made part of Macedonia’s EU accession process.
I’m fully aware of what Bujar Osmani and Dimitar Kovacevski did. I absolutely understand all of it. I understand that they accepted something they could not deliver. I understand that they did so for different, lucrative motivations. I understand that it is now a problem and will constantly be put on the table before us as a condition. But if this condition applies to us, then all the other prior agreements that were signed should apply to everyone else, such as the resolution for respect of human rights and the Good Neighborly Agreement. It should be an obligation to all sides. I’m prepared to meet and talk to make sure we come to a lasting solution, Mickoski said.
