SDSM accuses Levica of pushing North Macedonia toward BRICS
SDSM says Levica's Moscow contacts and meetings with Russian figures show an anti‑NATO, pro‑Russia shift and rejects BRICS as the country's future.
The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) accused the left-wing party Levica on Friday of trying to move North Macedonia toward BRICS and closer to Moscow, after Levica delegates attended a BRICS forum in Moscow and met representatives of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Russian Union of Manufacturers.
SDSM criticised Levica's leadership for the contacts and published a sharp party statement listing what it called a pattern of anti-Western positions. "No more masks. There is no 'authentic left'. There is a meeting with Zyuganov, a man on America's blacklist. There is a BRICS forum in Moscow. There is a clear stance against NATO and the EU. In a NATO member country, with the United States as a strategic partner, with over 80 percent support for the Euro-Atlantic path," the SDSM statement said.
Opposition and labour claims
The party also attacked Levica on domestic policy grounds, noting that Levica allegedly did not vote in favour of a proposed minimum wage of €600. "A party that swears by workers' rights, but leaves the chamber empty on wages. A party that swears by sovereignty, but goes to a meeting in Moscow at BRICS," SDSM wrote.
SDSM further said Levica backs Russia, which "has been waging war for four years," and warned that Levica's stance would push North Macedonia toward isolation and poverty. "That is what Levica supports. It fulfills Mickoski's every wish for isolation and poverty," the statement added.
The SDSM reaction followed reports that Levica leader Dimitar Apasiev, together with vice-president Redzep Ismail‑Haktan and Presidium member Aleksandar Simonov, held a meeting with Gennady Zyuganov, chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. SDSM said the meetings show "Levica no longer hides that it is a Russian party."
SDSM concluded by repeating that BRICS is not the future for North Macedonia and reaffirming its commitment to the EU, the rule of law and an independent European-style prosecution. The party said the country's future lies in EU integration rather than in aligning with new global centres represented by BRICS.
Photo: press material from the event
