SDSM: Strategic partnership with the US goes together with EU membership

The Social Democratic Union (SDSM) issued a sharp rebuttal to recent remarks by VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski, saying that North Macedonia's strategic partnership with the United States cannot and should not be presented as an alternative to European Union membership.

Party: US ties and EU accession are complementary

SDSM accused Mickoski of attempting to reframe the debate about the country’s EU path. The party criticised his distinction between "talking" and "negotiating," quoting Mickoski's own words that he "talks", not "negotiates", and branded him a "fake patriot" for downplaying the EU process.

According to SDSM, Mickoski has sought to push a new narrative: "There is no EU," he said, "I've given too much and received nothing." The party says he omitted that he did not complete the reforms he promised in June, despite being granted a one-year postponement last year.

SDSM further accused the opposition leader of turning his back on the EU, distancing North Macedonia and blocking the country’s European trajectory. The party warned that presenting the bilateral relationship with the United States as a substitute for EU membership risks isolating the country.

In its statement, SDSM argued that membership in the European Union and the strategic partnership with the United States are not conditional on each other. "On the contrary, they complement one another and create a synergy in the interest of North Macedonia, the region and wider European security," the party said.

The party urged a return to the reform agenda and insisted that diplomatic ties with Washington should be advanced alongside, not instead of, the EU accession process.

Photo: press material from the event