SkopjeDiem Macedonia in English
Regarding the impasse in the negotiations on the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) issue and whether there is a possibility of foreign intermediaries getting involved, President Stevo Pendarovski says in an interview with Sitel TV that it’s his assessment that foreign mediators will not get involved. “We’re waiting for a date for negotiations with the EU and we’re on the verge of NATO and when you talk to someone from the international representatives at a higher level or with someone from the EU, they basically tell you: ‘You should be like us.’ In neighbouring Albania, too, where there is much worse communication between the Government and the opposition, foreigners aren’t getting involved,” he says. However, according to Pendarovski, an institution separated from political parties, which could be a more independent arbiter or mediator in such negotiations, needs to get involved because, as he points out, only party gatherings cannot be all the way productive if it’s about strategic and important state issues. In the interview, Pendarovski talks about other issues, too, including Macedonia’s diplomatic network. In that regard, he points out that at least four Macedonian embassies abroad would be shut down because of there being no big need for diplomatic presence at those locations.
