VMRO-DPMNE’s vice-president Aleksandar Nikoloski, who attended the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, as an honorary guest of the Council of Europe, told a press conference about the meeting with European People’s Party President Joseph Daul, with whom he shared information on the situation in Macedonia.

I also met with numerous lawmakers from over 20 European countries and we all talked about the perspective of Macedonia. Unfortunately, the impression is that Macedonia for the second year does not get a date for starting EU accession negotiations because the Zaev government does not implement reforms. It does not implement reforms in the fight against corruption, does not improve the economy and does not establish a functional system of rule of law, ie the economy sinks, corruption is booming and there is no established system of rule of law, says Nikoloski.

He noted that his interlocutors were surprised by Zaev’s decision to name himself finance minister.

Zaev’s government made the biggest strategic mistake, my interlocutors say, agreeing with Edi Rama, Macedonia and Albania to join the same group because Albania pulls Macedonia back. With all the mess that is happening in Albania and the dysfunction of the institutions there it seriously pulls Macedonia back and destroys the European perspectives of the Macedonian citizens. The group with Albania is the biggest evil and the biggest problem that can happen to the European integration of Macedonia, and therefore I strongly appealed and asked all those I met to talk with their foreign ministers, talk to their prime ministers and ask for separation of Macedonia and Albania, in order for Macedonia to move forward. This is the one path that Macedonia should walk, and the second is certainly the internal reforms. Unfortunately, in terms of internal reforms, we do not see capacity in Zaev’s government, and I hope for a swift change of government and a new VMRO-DPMNE-led government that will be able to complete these reforms. But I reiterate the separation of Macedonia and Albania in the integration is crucial because the group with Albania made in agreement between Zaev and Edi Rama pulls Macedonia back. Zaev’s kneeling before Edi Rama must stop because it pulls Macedonia back.