Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski stated today that they have leads regarding individuals who have millions of dollars at their disposal, some of whom were high-ranking officials in previous governments. These individuals are allegedly attempting to mobilize people on the ground to destabilize inter-ethnic harmony in the country. He emphasized that, sooner or later, those responsible for these provocations will be held accountable.

“We have indications of elements with vast sums of money—millions—some of whom are former high-ranking officials. They are attempting to mobilize people on the ground, primarily to manipulate them. What particularly concerns me is that they are trying to provoke an ethnic conflict, aiming to destabilize the inter-ethnic harmony in Macedonia. This is what worries me the most, as they realize they cannot mobilize people otherwise, and now their only strategy is to incite this type of conflict. We will not allow that. I appeal to the public, the media, and citizens to refrain from any provocations and to ignore them,” Mickoski said today in response to a journalist’s question regarding claims that there are people working to destabilize the state.

During his visit to the Customs Administration today, he emphasized that sooner or later, those responsible for such provocations will be held accountable and urged the public to remain patient.

“Macedonia needs consolidation. The indicators in July are excellent in the Customs Administration and the IRS. Here are some more data I shared about tolls, etc. This means that the free fall has stopped. Now, we need to slowly bring the situation back to a stable level so that we can then develop our country. We are focused on that. We are not focused on reality shows or spectacles. Soon, the public will be informed about literally every action of this Government. We want to develop Macedonia in the way it deserves to be developed,” Mickoski said.

Regarding the responsibility of former officials, about whom they have certain leads concerning their activities, he emphasized that he expects the full transition within the institutions to be completed by mid-September, at the level for which the Government is responsible.

“After that, I assume the managers in those institutions will continue that process vertically downwards. But the level that depends on the Government itself, I estimate will conclude by mid-September, which means that in less than three months after the new Government is elected, the first round of transition should end. I expect all those who will be part of these institutions to first stabilize them, and while doing so, I expect them to conduct a serious revision and analysis of what happened in the past, following the previous principles,” Mickoski said.

He emphasized that they have serious indications of illegal activities in many institutions but prefer to gather solid evidence before proceeding.