English
Former SDSM leader Zoran Zaev made a rare intervention in the political scene, by posting a Facebook message denying that he has been receiving money from Bulgaria. Zaev was accused by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, who cited all the major concessions Zaev made in favor of Bulgaria.
I strongly and categorically denounce the lies and slanders from Mickoski about alleged “suitcass with money from the former Prime Minister of Bulgaria” as untruths and a desparate attempt by the incompetent Prime Minister to divert the public attention away from his failures, Zaev said in the Facebook message. In 2020 Zaev caused a major rift in his own party after he accepted practically all Bulgarian positions on issues of national identity and history. The interview came after he agreed to the creation of a joint commission of historians who are now reviewing the history of Macedonia and Bulgaria, with Bulgaria holding the upper hand. Despite these promises of concessions, Bulgaria still blocked Macedonia from opening its EU accession talks, after the outrage that followed Zaev’s concessions made it difficult for him to deliver on his promises.
Mickoski was talking about the latest call from SDSM and its leader (and Zaev’s protege) Venko Filipce, that Macedonia must make additional concessions toward Bulgaria without asking for the firm guarantees that VMRO and Mickoski are calling for.
The former Prime Minister of our eastern neighbor publicly said that he has financially supproted the SDSM option, directly, with suitcases with money for Filipce’s guru and mentor from Strumica. I don’t want to believe that, but it is very logical that they came again, knocked at the same door, and that SDSM are hoping for a new suitcase, in exchange for a present for our eastern neighbor – new treasons and betrayals of our national and state interests, Mickoski said.
Deputy Prime Minister and VMRO-DPMNE Vice President Aleksandar Nikoloski also joined in the argument, saying that “Zaev was pulling the strings in SDSM in the term of the previous leader Dimitar Kovacevski, and does so now, through Venko Filipce. The wording that Filipce is using hints that he is coordinating daily with Zaev and that they are so close, they comments resemble each other. Or maybe it’s the same person from their joint media team who writes their speeches and social media comments”, Nikoloski said.
