Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski revealed Tuesday that, during his visit to the United States of America, he attended a reception hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump. He shared details regarding the conversations that took place.
“Based on what I heard, both in the U.S. President’s speech at the General Assembly and at the reception I attended, he reiterated the position that there is currently no agreement with the Iranian side; they are waiting for the U.S. elections to conclude. He reminded everyone that he is not running in these elections, which are partisan contests for the Senate and Congress. He still has two and a half years left in his term; if no agreement is reached, he will further intensify military actions. Many things are happening globally that should serve as indicators for how we shape our own policy; we have a clear strategy and plan,” the Prime Minister told reporters.
“We will discuss the current state of the enlargement process, the challenges that have arisen in the interim, and the challenges we anticipate in the period ahead,” said PM Hristijan Mickoski, responding to a reporter’s question about his expectations regarding the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is arriving in Skopje on Friday.
“When formulating a strategy and planning which policies to pursue, one must take into account developments in the neighborhood and the wider region, namely, the European Union. We have seen a failed referendum in Iceland and the restarting of EU negotiations. We have witnessed three state election cycles in Germany where extreme political factions have triumphed: Alternative for Germany won twice, and Die Linke, a far-left party, won once. All of them are anti-migrant and opposed to the expansion of the European Union itself. Presidential elections are coming up in France this spring. According to the latest polls, Marine Le Pen is clearly the favorite; the figures suggest she will become the next President of France. All of this serves as an indicator that should guide the policies we shape in the period ahead,” said Mickoski.
The Prime Minister notes that the world is facing major challenges and undergoing significant changes, citing two serious ongoing wars.
Mickoski adds that “our homework” would be done, while noting that other factors are beyond their control.