SDSM: While Mickoski talks identity, Brussels did not mention Macedonia

SDSM sharply criticised Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski’s October 23 address to the ceremonial academy marking the Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle, saying that while he spoke about protecting national identity and state interests, senior EU officials in Brussels this week did not even mention Macedonia when outlining the region’s path to Europe.

SDSM: protection of identity is shown by progress, not speeches

In a statement the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) said that the country’s future is built on independent institutions and completed reforms, not on rhetoric. The party pointed to remarks by EU figures this week — including EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos — that detailed next steps for Montenegro, Albania, Serbia and Kosovo, but that made no reference to Macedonia.

Translating SDSM’s criticism into concrete demands, the party reiterated that Brussels conditions remain unchanged: reforms and cooperation with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office before accession. SDSM called that requirement European, not bilateral, in nature.

SDSM also cited parts of Mickoski’s address and replied directly to his message that he is “not dealing with bones from the past, but with the future of the children.” The party’s statement said: "The future is built with independent institutions, not with justice by telephone. It is built with the reforms you promised by June 1 and did not complete. It is built with a budget that is not filled with new loans to pay the old ones, and with a border that does not let cargo through without any responsibility. State interests are not protected by isolation. They are protected by a place in Europe where decisions are made and where people live better. When the country is not mentioned in enlargement messages, that is not protection. That is a result. Citizens are tired of waiting. They are also tired of digging up bones from the past. There is no more reason to sow interethnic hate. We know that serves to sustain Mickoski’s already completely sunk rating and the free fall of criminal rule."

Warning that the government must deliver measurable progress in the EU accession process, SDSM added a sharp image to its criticism: if the authorities continue to stall, "the only bones left will be the bones on the dining table." The statement also referenced the government’s migration plans and the figure of "100,000" people mentioned in Mickoski’s policy, saying those migrants and economic workers would not concern themselves with “bones from the past.”

The party’s remarks come after Mickoski’s speech in which he said Macedonia must proceed wisely and patiently toward the European Union despite long waits, bilateral disputes and obstacles from the eastern neighbour, and declared: “No veto can erase Goce Delchev from the heart of the Macedonian people.”

Photo: Arhiva