Bilateral issues are not part of the negotiating framework with Brussels. And most importantly, the EU proposal defines the holding of the first intergovernmental session in Brussels. I, the Government and the President of the state said “yes” to such a proposal, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski in his address to the Parliament.

This is a historic session for Macedonia, because today we are deciding on several fundamentals for our country, for a better future, for a stable present, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski said his address, which was followed by loud whistles from the opposition MPs.

The reason why we are debating is to define the beginning of negotiations with the EU. We accepted the first proposal and in Brussels I loudly said “no” to the first set of ideas. That set was inconsistent with our red lines. That set of ideas did not guarantee the status of the Macedonian language and did not define a clear beginning of negotiations with the EU. Short and clear, I said “no” because it was not good for Macedonia. We were able to get a new proposal that truly reflects our red lines. The Macedonian language is recognized in the EU. The Macedonian language will be spoken everywhere in Europe. Bilateral issues are not part of the negotiating framework with Brussels. And most importantly, the European proposal defines the holding of the first intergovernmental session in Brussels. I, the Government and the President of the state said “yes” to such a proposal, Kovacevski said.

Dear MPs, he added, this proposal is the best for us.

Could it have been better? Of course it could have been better. But it could have been worse. But I don’t want to talk about bad things. The best defense for identity is moving forward. We will not allow ourselves to be isolated and closed, and citizens to seek foreign passports and work abroad. The state is being built every day. I am Macedonian by birth and no paper can take away my identity and history. This process does not end today or tomorrow. This is a process of all parties. With a clear conscience, accept the proposal and let’s move forward to a better future. I am doing this not because I have to, but because I believe it is the right decision, Kovacevski said.

After the end of his speech, the atmosphere in the Parliament heated up. The MPs from the opposition started chanting “traitor, traitor”.