The Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Hristiyan Mickoski, commented on the report adopted today by the European Parliament on the progress of the Republic of North Macedonia towards EU membership, from which the controversial formulations related to the Macedonian language and identical were deleted.
Mickoski stated that Bulgaria is blocking his country's European path, quoted by BNT. He explained that this blockade did not start today, nor will it end today, but began "as early as 1990, when Bulgaria made a gesture and recognized us as a state (January 15, 1992 - ed. note), but not the Macedonian language, people and nation, at a time of terrible wars in the former Yugoslavia, lack of money and our problems with Greece", pointed out the Prime Minister, who added that it was clear that Bulgaria had a "clear agenda and plan and that they want to destroy the Macedonian nation and identity".
According to Mickoski, even then, Macedonian politicians should have seen that Bulgaria had a "completely different goal and hidden intentions. Whether the thesis that time is working for us is correct - history will tell. The fact is that today Bulgaria was working against us," he said.
The Prime Minister believes that now Europe can see what challenges North Macedonia is facing, emphasizing that "Bulgaria knows how to "destroy" this country.
He doesn't want anyone to ever tell him that the Bulgarian minority is a problem. "These few hundred people, regardless of whether they are in the Constitution or not, are not a problem at all. We can introduce them tomorrow. The essence is deeper and this was seen with the steps that our neighbor took. But it will be remembered for centuries that the report passed the European Parliament's Foreign Policy Committee and was on the table before this shameful amendment was adopted - for the first time in independent Macedonia. Macedonia has done everything from 1990 to today, all sorts of concessions, all sorts of humiliations. Instead of reaching out and showing sympathy, we are falling into new crises with new demands on us. The wolves were waiting for leaders who were corrupt to give up their people, their language. The biggest problem with the humiliations is that they were based on corrupt politicians and irresponsible leaders," Hristiyan Mickoski is categorical.
He thanked the EU friends who help the RSM and added that the country will try to get closer to the EU, "because my country's membership in the EU is not just a goal - it is a necessity," in his words.
"We respect our neighbors, but without them respecting us - they will achieve nothing. This is the key mistake of our eastern neighbor. When they start respecting us, then they will be our closest and best friend. Until then, we will speak to them in the language of arguments," concluded Hristiyan Mickoski.