Former Prime Minister and VMRO leader Nikola Gruevski, who now lives in exile in Hungary after facing political persecution by the Zoran Zaev regime, published a new book which covers his work in economic reforms and opening Macedonia for foreign investments.

The book, Experiences for the Future – economic effects of the various types of international flows of capital including a particular look at the Repulbic of Macedonia, is Gruevski’s doctoral dissertation, which was presented in 2018 at the Economic Faculty in Skopje. In the foreword, Gruevski reflects on the political situation and his persecution.

It has to be said that this book is published at a time of complex political developments in Macedonia, and while I have been under political asylum in Hungary, as a politically persecuted person, for the past half a year. The campaign of political persecution against me culminated in the Autumn of 2018 and its perpetrators were in such hurry to have me imprisoned and removed, they used false testimonies, politically driven charges and a subordinate court which wouldn’t allow me two months to complete the book before being sent to serve out an undeserved prison sentence, Gruevski writes in the foreword.

He notes that the dissertation was written in what was still called the Republic of Macedonia, at a time of “brutal and undemocratic, dirty blackmails and pressures, staged trials and arrests, and a powerful propaganda campaign which led to the renaming of Macedonia into the Republic of North Macedonia, along with numerous additional steps that affect the Macedonian national identity, the history of the Macedonian people, its education and culture”.

As for the economic accomplishments, covered primarily in the book, the foreword notes that Macedonia achieved the lowest tax rate in the world in 2014 under Gruevski, and was ranked among the top 10 economic reformers in the world by the World Bank Doing business report for three years. It was also the 5th best place to do business in Europe.

Nikola Gruevski dedicated his third book to his daughters Anastasia and Sofia.