Venko Filipche in Bosilovo: Ilovica–Stuka mine will not open

Venko Filipche, president of SDSM, told residents of Bosilovo at a civic gathering that the Ilovica–Stuka mine will not open and that his party will do everything in its power to stop any sale of Macedonian land.

Filipche said locals in the region are outraged by what he described as the government's unilateral actions and have voiced fears about the mine’s potential harmful effects on public health and the environment.

Accusations against the government

Addressing the meeting, Filipche directly blamed Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and the current government for their plans in the new spatial plan. He accused the administration of preparing mining zones behind closed doors and of prioritizing party business over public funds.

“Mickoski's government has already, behind closed doors, marked the mines in the new spatial plan, but we will not allow this process to pass. After they emptied the budget and have no money for anything, because they spend all budgets on party tenders, now they are selling off Macedonian land for their business interests,” Filipche said.

Filipche promised that SDSM will use parliamentary tools and mobilize citizens to block the opening of the Ilovica–Stuka project. “My message is clear — there will be no mine here! We will oppose every step that leads to its opening. We will fight with arguments and by all democratic means, as MPs and together with citizens,” he added.

The party has previously warned that, under the guise of investment, the government led by Mickoski is preparing to open five new mines — Ilovica–Stuka, Kazandol, Plavica, Kadijca and Luke — along with geological excavations on Mount Kozhuf and a new antimony extraction intended for military industry needs.

Photo: press material from the event