VMRO-DPMNE Executive Committee held a session which was focused on the initiative for a referendum, which comes after the imposed underestimating conditions for open Bulgarianization and identity redefinition of Macedonia, something that the Government of SDSM accepted, the leader of VMRO-DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, said at a press conference.

Let me make it clear right away that VMRO-DPMNE supports the integration of Macedonia within the European Union without any doubts, but VMRO-DPMNE does not support assimilation, change of historical facts, renouncing the uniqueness of the language and identity deprivation. The practice so far has shown that the Government and Kovacevski were not telling the truth when they said that historical issues are not a topic of conversation, not only are they a topic of conversation, they have also become a condition for Macedonia to advance towards the EU, which in itself represents an unfair position which the Macedonian government accepted it to the detriment of the entire country and going beyond its mandate. At the same time, the sovereignty in the country, the people were neither asked nor did Kovacevski have a mandate to put Macedonia in a subordinate position. Not to mention that Macedonia gave in for the name, gave in for Bulgaria, gave in for the negotiating framework, and got nothing in return. On the contrary, life is increasingly difficult, the energy crisis and inflation are destroying the state and bringing poverty, Mickoski pointed out.

He said that this Executive Committee is following up on the extensive consultations that it has done over the past month. It was discussed and consulted with experts and professors of constitutional law, the coalition partners, the deputies, and together we reached a solution that was confirmed unanimously by the Executive Committee, he added.

A decision was made to start a citizen’s initiative to collect signatures for calling a referendum, and in the coming week we will collect at least 100 qualified signatures, with which such an initiative will be submitted to the Parliament. I, the Executive Committee of the party, the deputies will be the first to sign this initiative. After which I expect the Parliament to quickly legitimize and approve the initiative, after which the deadlines for collecting 150,000 signatures to call for a mandatory referendum will begin, I repeat a mandatory referendum. The referendum question will refer to the Good Neighborly Agreement with Bulgaria that Zaev concluded with Borisov. He is the source and the beginning of all the problems for Macedonia and the basis on which Bulgaria then based its maximalist demands and positions, the poisoned tree bears poisoned fruits. The termination of this agreement will mean the termination of requests to change textbooks, disputing the language, history, culture, etc. That’s why we propose that the referendum question should read and as such it was adopted and confirmed today by the Executive Committee of the party: Are you in favor of abandoning the importance of the LAW ON THE RATIFICATION OF THE AGREEMENT ON FRIENDSHIP, GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD AND COOPERATION BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA AND THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA published in the Official Gazette No. 12 /2018 from 18.01.2018? VMRO-DPMNE will call for a vote to end the validity of this harmful agreement, emphasized Mickoski.

I expect the government to allow the people to express themselves and put an end to the blackmailing pressures and obstruction by Bulgaria. This should be the answer of the people for their Macedonia and for our common future, he added.