English
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski responded to calls from SDSM leader Venko Filipce for a meeting of party leaders over the Kocani nightclub disaster. Along with Filipce, the DUI party, who has had a number of high level officials charged over the disaster – after they have approved the licenses for the Pulse nightclub – is asking for international involvement in the investigation and a parliamentary committee.
I absolutely do not shy away from having a committee set up. I would like to see its mandate expanded to other court cases which were concluded in a way they were concluded. So yes, we are ready to talk, to debate all who can help or add value. SDSM and DUI are not satisfied with the investiation in Kocani. I would ask them if they were satisfied with the investigations in TEtovo, in Laskarci, the Besa Trans investigation, the Soravia investigation and many others, Prime Minister Mickoski said.
Previously, he announced that he will push for review of other cases from the recent past, including the bus disaster on the Tetovo – Skopje highway near Laskarci, and the fire at the Covid ward in Tetovo. Mickoski added that the prosecutors who came to Kocani are the same familiar faces from the reign of DUI and SDSM – Islam Abazi and Gavril Bubevski. “The fact that we did not continue with the process of changing the prosecutors does not mean that we have forgotten who they are and where they come from. We withdrew to leave room for clear accounting and responsibility for anyone who had even the slightest involvement in this dreadful tragedy”, Mickoski added.
The Prime Minister dismissed calls from Filipce for a joint, bipartisan candidate for Mayor of Kocani, saying that the last thing the city needs are elections and politicized debates and arguments.
