VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski addressed the dispute with former VMRO leader Nikola Gruevski today, “for the last time”, as Mickoski said. Mickoski said that he is not happy to engage in a public exchange with Gruevski and that he “did not choose this battle”, but that he will not allow any combination that would lead to the acceptance of the Bulgarian demands to amend the Constitution.

I must say I’m deeply disappointed by his behavior. For a long time I refused to discuss the many issues that happened to me and my colleagues as we worked to put VMRO-DPMNE on a solid footing. Until recently, even though I had no contact with him, I believed that we share the same goal. The road to this goal, for a strong and united VMRO-DPMNE, was very thorny and we faced many blows. My challenge is to fight against this Government and stand shoulder to shoulder with my people, but I must say that it is not easy to experience blows from people on the inside, from people who I thought share the same cause with me, Mickoski said.

He repeated his allegation that Gruevski is partnered now with the “same people who caused all our troubles, including his own issues, the persecution and betrayals that happened to Macedonia, and now shares USB drives and letters through the DUI party offices and conducts unprincipled discussions”. Mickoski alleges that there is USB evidence that Gruevski was in communication with the Kovacevski – Ahmeti Government to help them amend the Constitution.

Mickoski also referenced Gruevski’s own comment that people within the party stuck “knives in his back” saying that it is curious for a person who spoke like that to become part of a “dirty plan”.