Saso Mijalkov was allowed to flee Macedonia and he got to Belgrade, only to be forced to return under pressure, said VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski in a radio interview. He referred to the scandalous events of the past few days as a circus organized by the Zaev regime and Mijalkov, which deeply undermines what trust is left in the rule of law in Macedonia.

People who know Mijalkov and his inner circle are open about the fact that, in the past weeks and event months, his closest confidants, the people he has most trust in, are Zoran Zaev and his brother Vice Zaev. The trust between them is such that at this point Zoran and Vice Zaev are the only people Mijalkov trusts. They are the ones who promised him that he will be safe from arrest. But apparently the pressure that was put on them was too great and at one point Zaev was forced to resort to the methods he himself mentioned and Mijalkov had to return from Belgrade, Mickoski said.

Zaev claimed that he had no prior knowledge of Mijalkov’s escape from Macedonia and did not authorize it, but that he threatened Mijalkov’s family and businesses unless he returns. After years of demonizing Mijalkov, especially during his Colored Revolution, Zaev has developed a profitable working relationship with Mijalkov, in politics, where Mijalkov is helping Zaev by trying to create a faction in VMRO-DPMNE that will weaken Mickoski, but also allegedly in various businesses.

I’m aghast at what is happening. Just when you think that Zaev has hit rock bottom, he digs himself even deeper, Mickoski said.