Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski today assessed yesterday's meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as exceptionally friendly, useful and substantive, emphasizing that it may be key to some processes in the future, although as he said - he is not satisfied with the messages regarding the constitutional amendments.
– I would assess the meeting as exceptionally friendly, useful, meaningful and I appreciate that it may be crucial for some processes in the future. I expect those processes to begin as early as next week, after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has already submitted a request to the colleagues from our eastern neighbor for a bilateral meeting. On the other hand, I cannot say that I am satisfied with the messages sent by the President. She clearly stated that the change of the Constitution is on the table, a matter that was accepted by the previous government – said Mickoski, answering a journalist's question after inspecting the construction activities of the bridge being built on "Ljubljanska" Street in the Municipality of Karpoš.
He accused the previous coalition led by SDSM and DUI of trying, in the absence of creativity and proposals to overcome the situation, "through lies and fabrications" to send messages that the current government will change the negotiating framework.
Mickoski announced that the Government will continue with its activities and said, but as he added, time and patience are needed. These are processes when you have quislings who sell out and a patriotic Government that loves its country, which needs to return what the quislings have sold out – said Mickoski.
He also referred to former coalition partners, indicating that he was referring to SDSM, while he said of DUI that "they were not interested in it, nor did they have any feelings when reaching any agreement there."
-We have reached talks. Something that was previously impossible has now happened. And we will do many more things that they cannot even imagine in their wildest dreams. It just takes time and patience. These are processes when you have quislings who sell out and a patriotic government that loves its country and which needs to return what the quislings sold out. I am talking about SDSM, those from DUI were not interested in that nor did they have any feelings when they were reaching an agreement on Macedonia, said the Prime Minister.
According to Mickoski, the messages from Von der Leyen still create a sense of encouragement, especially the message that the personal engagement of the Government and the comparison of reforms show that the country is the best in the region.
-Gradual or gradual integration is also an opportunity for us. All this encourages us and motivates us to continue on the path of reforms in the period ahead. I have two trips scheduled to Brussels in November, the first to the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Good Neighborhood Policy, the second is the regional summit that we have with the European Union and the Western Balkans. So, we will fight. There is no surrender, we will fight, it is not easy, they sold too much before, they destroyed too much, they stole too much, but we are not giving up. We will return what was stolen, we will fight to regain what has been sold out. That is the task of this generation - emphasized the Prime Minister.
Regarding the announced bilateral meeting with the Bulgarian side, when asked by a journalist whether there was any feedback and what he expected from the meeting, as well as what would happen if it were rejected, Mickoski said that in such a case "all those theses that we have and what we are concerned about will be confirmed once again", but added that he does not expect that.
- I don't expect it, it wouldn't be wise for them to refuse, but okay, that's their sovereign decision, it's not our decision. I received, I would say, constructive advice from the President, to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade to request a meeting on the sidelines of the meeting on Corridor 8. I did that, because I appreciate that the President was absolutely right when she suggested it. The Minister requested it, now it's up to our eastern neighbor to decide what to do next - Mickoski stressed.
