Regarding the open issue with our eastern neighbor, we are not asking the world to adapt to us. We ask to be treated with the same respect with which we treat others. And that is why I want to state clearly: we will not build our future on hatred. We will not turn differences into hostilities. We will not allow the past to be an obstacle for cooperation. But neither will we give up our own dignity, because true friendship does not demand that we renounce ourselves. True friendship is based on mutual respect. A true European future must be a future that we enter with our heads held high, not with a bent and humiliated spine. Not with a feeling of defeat and bitterness, but with a sense of belonging, Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said in his address at a solemn academy in Kumanovo on the occasion of October 11 – National Uprising Day.
That is why, PM Mickoski says, “the opposition is nervous, that is why they insult, it is easiest for them to lie and manipulate”.
“They have neither vision nor a program. The only thing they have, and they are world champions in this, is signing everything that is put before them, every piece of paper, of course as long as the citizens pay for it. They are only interested in position and power,” Mickoski underscored.
The Prime Minister notes the country’s goal is a European future, but as a country that has confidence in itself, in its history and its future.
“A dignity that is not subject to negotiations. We want a European future, strong partnerships and friendships, but with our head held high. The Macedonian identity, language, and history are our centuries-old legacy, our pride and our duty to future generations. Our homeland is greater than any party and any government. The political differences must not be stronger than our shared responsibility. We need unity around the big strategic goals,” Mickoski said.
The PM stressed that on October 11, the decision was not only about how life would be lived tomorrow, but also, he said, whether future generations would have the right to decide their own destiny.
“Geography, history, and the future of this region connect us with Bulgaria. We may have different interpretations of the past. For the future, we must share a common responsibility – to build relations in which no one has to deny the other in order to affirm themselves. Our language is not an obstacle to a European future. It is part of European cultural wealth. Our identity is not a problem to be solved, but a dignity to be respected. We are not asking Europe to choose between Macedonia and Bulgaria. We are asking that European principles apply equally to both Macedonia and Bulgaria. I do not want the generations to come to inherit our distrust. I want them to inherit our courage to solve problems,” added PM Mickoski.