Timcho Mucunski says talks are “under the radar”; SDSM accuses the minister of secrecy

The Social Democratic Union (SDSM) sharply criticised Foreign Minister Timcho Mucunski after an interview in which he said talks were taking place “under the radar” to try to unblock North Macedonia’s path to the European Union.

SDSM’s statement questioned the premise that the country’s future could be discussed in secrecy. The party asked why a minister of foreign affairs would frame sensitive diplomatic contacts as covert and recalled Mucunski’s remark that, unlike the previous government, “they are not lenient.”

The statement also recalled public endorsements from opposition figures: VMRO‑DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski called the Prespa Agreement “a masterpiece of diplomacy,” while presidential candidate Gordana Siljanovska‑Davkova said “the national identity, language and culture are completely protected and absolved.” The SDSM release noted that Mucunski himself has previously described NATO as beneficial both for citizens’ security and for attracting foreign investors, and added that investment fell by 60 percent after VMRO‑DPMNE took power.

SDSM: transparency was a hallmark

In its rebuttal SDSM argued that all three politicians effectively acknowledged the achievements of the last government and its diplomatic record. The party dismissed references to “concessions” as false and wrote that such claims are no longer convincing: "The citizens have read them," the statement said.

SDSM also defended the previous administration’s openness, noting that alongside diplomatic successes — accession to NATO and the start of EU accession talks — that government operated transparently and did not conduct state matters behind closed doors.

The row follows Mucunski’s public admission that certain discussions intended to ease the country’s EU progress are happening “under the radar,” a description that has prompted concern from SDSM about democratic oversight and public accountability.

Photo: press material from the event