In the photo: Alexander Nikoloski (left) and Gellert Yasai (right)
One of the major oligarchs in Hungary and a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán - Gellert Jasai - shows great interest in acquiring a large market share of the telecommunications sector in North Macedonia, reported BGNES.
The Hungarian and Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Alexander Nikoloski discussed the matter in Budapest.
Yasai is the president of the Hungarian 4iG Group. His warm ties with companies close to the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin are known in Hungary.
4iG has gone from unknown to Hungary's leading IT company in just a few years through lucrative government contracts - an example of how the business elite loyal to Viktor Orbán are consolidating their control over key sectors of the economy.
The village mayor and today considered to be the most powerful Hungarian oligarch, Lorinz Messaros, acquired a majority stake in 4iG in 2018 through his conglomerate Opus Global, which has a huge business portfolio from tourism, agriculture, and industry to energy. Messaros later sold the majority stake to his business partner Gellert Jasai, who was the head of Konzum, a company that later merged with Opus.
A few years ago, 4iG acquired a majority stake in the state-owned telecommunications infrastructure company Antena Hungary following a capital increase. According to data on its website, 4iG has 8,000 employees.
Minister Nikoloski stated, "the established experience of 4iG Group in the telecommunications industry, combined with its expertise in regional frameworks, can be effectively used in the Macedonian market." "This initiative promises significant benefits for both countries and can be a plus, especially for Macedonian citizens, as Macedonia and 4iG Group share a common vision for a connected and digitally advanced society," he added.
"The initiative is in line with 4iG Group's strategy to expand its presence in the countries of the Western Balkans," announced the Macedonian Ministry of Transport.
For his part, Gellert Jasai stated: "We are keen to contribute to the development of the telecommunications sector in Macedonia and encourage positive changes through technology. Regarding our ambition to enter the Macedonian telecommunications market, in the next few weeks, we will start cooperation with the Government of Macedonia and our commitment to formalize this process in detail."
In 2022, 4iG Group entered the telecommunications markets of the Western Balkans sharply, gaining significant positions in Montenegro and especially in Albania through the ONE brand. Yasai is close to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.
This year, Chinese giant Huawei and 4iG signed a letter of intent to establish a joint cloud service platform for Hungarian companies and large Chinese and Asian firms in Central and Eastern Europe during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Budapest.
BGNES recalls that Orbán's adviser Arpad Haboni and close businessmen in recent years have invested huge sums in media close to VMRO-DPMNE and Hristiyan Mitskoski. Their narrative is pro-Kremlin and anti-European.
Macedonian Prime Minister Mickoski called for Viktor Orbán to be declared a Macedonian hero and to receive an order from Skopje. The reason - Hungary grants North Macedonia a loan of 500 million euros.
Nikola Gruevski, Mickoski's political father, is hiding in Hungary. Gruevski single-handedly ruled the Republic of Macedonia for 10 years (2006-2016). He resigned after thousands of mass protests and revelations of heavy corruption schemes, and total control over the judicial system and the media. At the end of 2017, he fled to Hungary, and Viktor Orbán's government refused to extradite him. Gruevski personally imposed Christian Mickoski as the leader of VMRO-DPMNE. The latter never once condemned the abuse of power and the one-man regime of his predecessor. | BGNES
