One thing that the future government aims to do is to align Macedonia strongly with the common foreign and security policy. Additionally, a key priority will be fostering the strategic partnership with the USA, stated Timcho Mutsunski, Vice President of VMRO-DPMNE, during today’s program debate titled “Diplomatic Horizons – Reforms in the political system, strategies for foreign policy, and diplomacy dedicated to the EU.” The program was presented on the VMRO-DPMNE Platform 1198.Mutsunski emphasized the urgent need for our diplomatic network to prioritize the evaluation of its performance, particularly focusing on our diplomatic and consular missions. He emphasized that those who have not achieved tangible results will need to be recalled, while competent and expert personnel will replace them.

He underscored the importance of addressing the deficiencies within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, acknowledging strategic mistakes, but also highlighting the significant problems within Macedonia’s diplomatic network. Evaluating the effectiveness of ambassadors and consuls, who are allocated substantial budgetary resources, is paramount. Mutsunski emphasized the necessity of assessing whether they have successfully attracted investors who contribute to job creation in Macedonia.

Based on this evaluation, those who have failed to deliver results will be replaced by professionals with expertise in economic, scientific, educational, and cultural diplomacy. Mutsunski is resolute in prioritizing aspects of foreign policy that directly benefit the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia.

In the realm of European integration, Mutsunski addressed the citizens’ dilemma regarding the dispute with Bulgaria, affirming VMRO-DPMNE’s stance that constitutional changes are not acceptable under current conditions.

“Our position has been unequivocal,” he stated. “We do not accept constitutional amendments under these circumstances.” Mutsunski outlined VMRO-DPMNE’s alternative approach, which involves advocating for the postponed implementation of constitutional amendments. Additionally, the party seeks assurances from the EU regarding the preservation of Macedonian language and identity, as well as a commitment to preventing further bilateralization of Macedonia’s European integration.

Mutsunski emphasized the legitimacy of delaying the implementation of constitutional amendments, coupled with EU guarantees. He stressed that this approach signals the end of a permissive foreign policy, which, in recent years, prioritized protecting narrow interests held by those in power.

Antonio Miloshoski, a member of VMRO-DPMNE’s Executive Committee, criticized the government’s failure to utilize the established mechanism, the Agency for Attracting Foreign Investments.

Our approach involves several key actions. Firstly, there will be enhanced coordination between the Agency for Attracting Foreign Investments and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This will include strengthening the embassy teams with economic promoters to boost effectiveness.

Secondly, ensuring a motivated and dedicated team is paramount. Ambassadors must demonstrate unwavering commitment to representing the country’s interests. Individuals who have acted against national interests, such as the ambassador in Rome during the travel document crisis, will face immediate impeachment. This example underscores the urgency of holding accountable those who undermine the nation’s interests. We are prepared to take decisive action against any such individuals, as there may be several others who warrant impeachment.
Vladimir Gjorchev, a member of the IC of VMRO-DPMNE, emphasized in his address that VMRO-DPMNE’s political agenda will be rooted in strong Macedonian positions. He stressed the importance of ensuring that Macedonia maintains open doors in key centers of global decision-making.

“It is imperative for Macedonia to conduct Macedonian politics,” Gjorchev stated. “The policies led by VMRO-DPMNE will firmly uphold Macedonian interests. It is in the best interest of VMRO-DPMNE, Macedonia, and the Macedonian people that our country maintains access to influential arenas where critical global decisions are made.”

Gjorchev warned against opposition to Macedonia, VMRO-DPMNE, and the Macedonian people’s aspirations to participate in crucial global forums. He emphasized that obstructing Macedonia’s engagement with these influential platforms would not yield positive outcomes for the country. Therefore, he advocated for a foreign policy approach aligned with the EU, NATO, and the strategic partnership with the USA. Gjorchev also emphasized the importance of preventing any single political party, such as SDSM or DUI, from monopolizing Macedonia’s foreign policy communication.

Additionally, Dragan Kovacki, another member of the IC of VMRO-DPMNE, criticized the government’s non-serious approach, highlighting the absence of a senior military representative in NATO for three years due to governmental negligence. Kovacki pointed out instances where individuals lacking adequate qualifications and security clearances were sent on missions alongside soldiers, leading to dissatisfaction among NATO partners.Kovacki added that Macedonia has an old defense strategy that dates back to before joining NATO.

There is also the upcoming reform of the security intelligence system. Why am I saying this? Because in the past period, we had situations and scandals where one service, the Intelligence Agency, knew about the Russian spy Onishchenko, but did not inform the National Security Agency, which gave a positive opinion on obtaining the citizenship of this Russian spy. So the services do not talk to each other, and this was confirmed by President Pendarovski himself. And for those reasons and many other scandals in the past period that we have brought to the public, a greater centralization and rationalization of the processes is needed. In other words, it is necessary to unify the two structures of the Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, Kovacki said. Viktorija Trajkov pointed out that the Macedonian diaspora is an inseparable part of the Macedonian national fabric and whenever representatives from VMRO-DPMNE are present among the Macedonian diaspora they are really well received because they know exactly who is for Macedonia and who is against Macedonia.

The unsuccessful policies of this government have unfortunately increased the number of people leaving the country and the number of the Macedonian diaspora in the last few years, which is really disastrous for a country considering that the number of people living in Macedonia, not to decrease. For that purpose, we have really impressive projects in our program that we are planning for the affirmation of the Macedonian diaspora, said Trajkov.

She went on to add that the first and foremost thing to do is to map out the diaspora.

The first and foremost thing we will do is the mapping to accurately count where we are and how many we are, in this regard we have two key things that I want to mention, the first is the establishment of a council for economic diplomacy in order to use the overall potential of Macedonians working in the world and are in key positions and we should use their potential for the benefit of the state of their home country Macedonia and by affirming such a council we will contribute to improving Macedonia’s position in the economic sphere. Also, by mapping and making a council for scientific diplomacy, we will contribute key professors, assistants, docents who are at major universities in the world to join us in the fight to make this place a better place to live, said Trajkov.

Ivanka Vasilevska MP from VMRO-DPMNE emphasized that VMRO-DPMNE promises fundamental and essential reforms and a lot of work as well as two key reforms for which a debate should be started after the formation of the VMRO-DPMNE government, which is an assembly of 90 deputies and one electoral unit.

“Let’s offer a common national platform within which we will incorporate all Macedonian citizens, all those who believe in the Macedonian state and in the right to a chance to be where we deserve. That is why I appreciate that it is particularly important to pay attention to the political system in Macedonia. A thorough democratic transformation of the Macedonian political system is necessary. It is necessary in that transformation to include all political actors, to introduce a national consensus, but first and foremost Macedonian citizens as a foundation. All this points to two key reforms where we will start. Rights is an assembly of 90 MPs, I believe that the number of MPs should be proportional to the number of voters. That debate should start after the formation of the VMRO-DPMNE government. A debate about one electoral unit should also be started. We promise thorough and essential reforms, and a lot of work,” stressed Vasilevska.

The additional deputy minister for information society and administration, Stefan Andonovski, emphasized that in order to achieve equality of the rule of law and equality of citizens before the institutions, a deep reform in the justice system and reform in the state administration is needed.

The judicial system will undergo its reform, not with political excursions that happened in the last 7 years in which the strategy for reforms was changed every 6 months, but will be made according to the highest recommendations of the Venice Commission and the recommendations of the European Commission, which sent its representatives here. But in order to make a reform, it is necessary to revise the existing situation, and therefore in the program we start from the idea that we must dissolve the Republican Judicial Council and the Council of Public Prosecutors of the Republic of Macedonia, aware of the sessions of these councils where people nominated by each other are dismissed from political parties with insignificant criteria and no experience, emphasized Andonovski and added:

A distinguished lawyer cannot mean a lawyer member of the Commission for Legal Affairs of SDSM. An outstanding jurist must be the best in science, the best in practice in the country, and he has to fulfill serious criteria and pass a serious procedure in the Parliament, and therefore we will foresee a very detailed procedure for the selection of these personnel in the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia according to top criteria. it is stated in the party announcement.