On Thursday, SDSM continued its criticism of PM Hristijan Mickoski’s visit to the US, describing it again as a “cheap PR farce”.
“The Macedonian flag wasn’t hoisted anywhere. PM Mickoski was not received at any official institution. It’s clear that nothing has been achieved diplomatically and politically. However, since VMRO-DPMNE has said Mickoski has secured investments at the meetings in the US, we publicly call on them to say which investments it’s about.
Let VMRO-DPMNE come out and say what the US companies that Mickoski has convinced to invest, following President Donald Trump’s signing of a decree to tax those American companies that will invest abroad. Mickoski’s US travel was supposed to be a high-ranking mission, but, unfortunately, DPMNE has turned into a cheap PR farce of which it doesn’t know how to get out”, Venko Filipce’s party said.
However, Mickoski’s party, ruling VMRO-DPMNE, described the visit as success for the country.
“He’s the first PM of this country that attended a US presidential inauguration. At the same time, he was the only politician from the Balkans that was at that time in Washington, at this year’s event”, MP Brane Petrusevski said.
Regarding the meetings the PM had with, among others, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Balkans Alexander Kasanof, Richard Grenell, Trump’s former intelligence chief, who’s been picked as presidential envoy for special missions, the Republican Party’s Michael Whatley, Rumble’s Chris Pavlovski, and others, the VMRO-DPMNE parliamentarian said there had been discussions on “US support for Macedonia, as well as on the investment potential of the our country and openness to economic cooperation”.
The political and economic effect of the meetings, according to the ruling party, is still to come. The Government reacted too, saying the opposition was visibly upset because Mickoski had, after a long time, presented the country around the world in a serious and dignified manner.
“All those meetings held by PM Mickoski that concern, first, presentation of the country with dignity and, second, potential economic cooperation in the future will be truly productive for all citizens”, Spokesperson Marija Miteva stressed.