SkopjeDiem Macedonia in English
According to SDSM leader and former PM Zoran Zaev, the opposition leader’s threats that the Prespa deal will be annulled represent annulment of NATO membership and stopping the process to get a start of EU negotiations. “That is in contradiction with our country’s strategic interest and that is an end of the whole progress achieved by Macedonia over the past 2.5 years,” he says in an interview with the Slobodna TV portal. Zaev fears that Hristijan Mickoski will genuinely do that, because there’s a difference between him and Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “Mitsotakis knew that agreements had to be respected and implemented, whereas Mickoski isn’t saying that. It’s naive, stupid even, for us to go back. That’s why I’m saying we will not allow the regime to return because nothing shows that something has changed in VMRO-DPMNE,” the SDSM leader says. Zaev considers that the announcements of a swift formation of the government in Spain mean that the final resolution to the Protocol issue is close, too. He remains convinced that the initiative to speed up cooperation between Western Balkan members is a step forward that will shorten the process for EU membership because a big part of obligations arising from the negotiations will be fulfilled through that process.
