English
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski today held a meeting with the diplomats of the European Union countries in Macedonia, to discuss the reform agenda of the Government.
When w were elected less than 20 months ago we had an indicative list of steps that we need to implement. A number of steps were delivered, and then the local elections came which, in line with our laws, prevented us to follow fully on the agreed dynamics. Immediately after the elections, work on the reform agenda resumed. We clearly say what steps we can’t take, because we do not want to be a Government that promises one thing to our international partners, but does something different behind the scenes. We will deliver what we can deliver and we are always prepared for sincere dialogue with our partners, said Prime Minister Mickoski.
Following the meeting, he again reiterated that there will be no elections in 2026, adding that this will allow the Government to better focus on the reform projects, the fight against crime and corruption and on the economy.
In a subsequent interview with MRTV, the Prime Minister discussed the dispute with Bulgaria. Mickoski said that Macedonia is prepared to uphold the obligations it undertook with its international partners, but that it also expects them to do the same – specifically to see Bulgaria respect the verdicts of the Strasbourg court regarding the rights of the ethnic Macedonians.
They also need to be aware about the obligations that some of their former governments undertook. If some government in our eastern neighbor undertook an obligation to sign and ratify resolutions, human rights conventions and to follow the decisions of the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, we expect that they will also be respected. That the Macedonian community will be allowed to register organizations, that it will be allowed to commune in culture, education, that this community will have a representative in the Council on minority rights that operates within their Government, said Priem Minister Mickoski.
Mickoski said that during meetings with EU representatives he is assured that the Union will not allow additional blockades for Macedonia if we meet the current Bulgarian demand to amend our Constitution and that the EU respects the Macedonian national identity, but that Macedonia will need guarantees for that.
If you really think that, please adopt a conclusion, so we can go before our people and tell them that the European Union adopted guarantees for our identity, language, that there will be no new bilateral vetoes. That the European Council has adopted a conclusion on this. That our eastern neighbor has allowed OMO Ilinden-Pirin to be registered and that we have a representative in the Council of ministers on minority rights. That would mean that we have guarantees we can trust in, Mickoski said.