Mickoski: Successful Completion of Process Depends on Avoiding Identity Issues in Bilateral Talks

Skopje – Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski stated from Brussels yesterday that discussions surrounding identity issues are not aligned with good intentions towards neighboring countries and do not respect European values. He pointed out that two agreements dictate that member states should offer unconditional support to Macedonia, asserting that the country does not have any disputes with others and wishes for that to remain unchanged.

During the EU-Western Balkans Summit, Mickoski highlighted the importance of bilateral cooperation in areas such as economic collaboration, tourism, knowledge exchange, and education, emphasizing that these interactions provide significant benefits.

“If discussions and negotiations turn to identity topics, they will never reach a successful conclusion since such matters are rooted in emotion rather than reason. Any emotionally-driven process cannot yield progress, quality, or tangible results,” Mickoski explained in an interview with MTV. He urged that emotional bilateral concerns be set aside and that agreements be interpreted accurately. He noted that both agreements stipulate that member states, specifically Greece and Bulgaria, must offer unconditional support. He stressed that the Good Neighborliness Agreement does not require constitutional changes on Macedonia’s part, calling for a clear-eyed view of the situation rather than one that suits particular narratives, and emphasized that bilateral cooperation should be logical, excluding identity-related issues.

Mickoski recounted a statement from a “prominent prime minister of a country” who remarked that in 2004, during a significant wave of EU expansion, none of the new member countries fully met the required criteria according to various chapters or clusters. However, Mickoski noted that a courageous political decision enabled those countries to be accepted into the EU.

“I now anticipate that the EU will pave the way for a bold decision allowing all Western Balkan nations to join the EU collectively,” Mickoski concluded. (December 20)