English
A request for an official bilateral meeting has already been sent to the Bulgarian government, but there is no response yet from Sofia as to whether it will take place.
“We have reached the stage of talks. Something that wasn’t possible before has now happened. And we will achieve many more things that they couldn’t even imagine in their wildest dreams. It just takes time and patience. These are processes involving, on one hand, quislings who sell off the country’s assets, and on the other, a patriotic government that loves the state and aims to reclaim what those quislings sold off. I am referring to SDSM; the people from DUI were never interested in that, nor did they have any emotional attachment when reaching agreements regarding Macedonia,” the Prime Minister said.According to Mickoski, the messages from von der Leyen are nonetheless encouraging—particularly the point that the Government’s personal commitment and the comparative assessment of reforms demonstrate that the country is the best performer in the region.Regarding the proposed bilateral meeting with the Bulgarian side, when asked by journalists if there was any feedback, what he expected from the meeting, and what might happen if it were rejected, Mickoski stated that such a scenario would “once again confirm all the arguments and concerns we have raised,” though he added that he did not expect that to happen. “I do not expect them to refuse—it would not be wise to do so—but fair enough; that is their sovereign decision, not ours. I received what I would call constructive advice from the President to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade to request a meeting on the sidelines of the gathering regarding Corridor 8. I did so because I believe the President was absolutely right in her suggestion. The Minister has made the request; now it is up to our eastern neighbor to decide on the next steps,” Mickoski stated.