The mafia style shootout in the largest shopping mall in Skopje yesterday coincided with the high level visit of US diplomat Gabriel Escobar, notes the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party. The main goal of Escobar’s visit was to get VMRO to vote for the Bulgarian amendments to the Constitution, and the DUI – SDSM Government, which cordially welcomed Escobar, insisted to him that Macedonia is a strong candidate for EU membership and fights crime and corruption.

At the same time, in the East Gate shopping mall, which is popular with young people and families, two professional hitmen tried to kill mobster Rade Trajkovski – Shtekli, who escaped unharmed.

While Kovacevski was persuading Escobar that this criminal Government is pro-European, another shootout happened in a shopping mall full of people. Criminals and the political leadership of this country are one and the same. Such brazen attack, seen in westerns, confirms that criminals are protected here. That is why we need change, and all who broke the law must pay the price, VMRO-DPMNE said in a statement.