English
Speaking during the celebration of the Day of the Macedonian Struggle and the founding of the VMRO organization, Prime Minister and VMRO leader Hristijan Mickoski addressed the dispute with Bulgaria. The Prime Minister said that Macedonia must ask itself – what will it gain from meeting the Bulgarian demands and will this be the end of it?
Every step we make must be seen through the lens of responding to these questions. To primarily secure guarantees that this will be the last concession, and that we will gain something tangible and predictable, something that will be important for our country and its citizens. And, that meanwhile, our eastern neighbor will also show European values, and will respond in same manner regarding the Macedonians in Bulgaria. The EU does not need us defaced and completely crippled. It needs us proud and with dignity, such as we are, Mickoski said.
The Prime Minister turned to the opposition, to say that it shows readiness to make far deeper concessions and to trade away our national identity in exchange for regaining power, “without thinking about the damage they do, not just to themselves but to the entire country and future generations”. According to Mickoski, this attitude is the reason why the SDSM party dropped to third or even fourth place in many races in the local elections.
