We are the only case where bilateral agreements are conditions of the negotiating framework with the EU. These are not European values, they are dictates.
This is what Macedonian Prime Minister Hristian Mickoski said on the news that Albania has been separated from North Macedonia in the negotiation process with the EU. Tirana is expected to start negotiations with the bloc on 15 October, BGNES reports.
Mickoski claims to have found out about this EU decision during his visit to Brussels last week.
"It sends a bad message to the Macedonian citizens because as a country we have come a long way since we started on the road to full EU membership. There are a lot of things that nobody has done, but we have done, that have nothing to do with the Copenhagen criteria. We are the only case where bilateral agreements are conditions of the negotiating framework. I am sorry that the previous government took everything exhibitionist and waved the European flag while robbing the people. We see the situation for what it is. I share the impression of the vast majority of Macedonian citizens that we should no longer accept conditions based on national concessions without guarantees. For me, this is a dictate. If that is the condition for Macedonia, then no thank you. These are not European values," the prime minister said.
Regarding the inclusion of Bulgarians in the constitution of North Macedonia, which is a condition for the start of negotiations between Skopje and the EU, Mickoski said the following:
"I discussed this with Austrian Foreign Minister Schallenberg. Enough double standards on the back of this small country. We want to negotiate. What is so difficult about accepting our proposal and having these constitutional amendments come into force when the Bulgarian Parliament will ratify the protocol for our accession to the EU. It is obvious that someone does not have honest intentions," the prime minister said. | BGNES
