Macedonian Prime Minister HristijanMickoski dismissed the claims by SDSM leader VenkoFilipche over alleged ties between the current Government and the political developments in Serbia, assessing them as lies and political fabrications. He pointed to previous accusations by the opposition over his ties with former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, noting that after six months, instead of the teased scandals there has only been a confirmation by the State Audit Office that the funds were used appropriately.
“I will not comment on the press conferences your political party is holding regarding the elections in Serbia and the attempts to link them to us, specifically concerning who acted as a mentor to whom. I will leave it to time to provide an answer to everything you are saying today, and to the lies you are spreading. In a statement I made yesterday, I apologized to the citizens for everything they are about to hear in the coming period. This is simply the level at which you believe you can secure votes right now. That is your decision; feel free to conduct your politics however you see fit. But if you are asking for my advice, I believe you are taking a very wrong path. Still, that is your choice, and I will not interfere,” said Mickoski.
“You said the exact same things about Orbán six months ago,the press conferences were identical, from start to finish. If you compare them, you’ll see that back then, too, you claimed that ‘Micko’s’ criminal dealings with Orbán would be exposed, all sorts of things were supposedly happening. Well, six months have passed, and only one thing has come to light: that we secured a substantial financial loan from Hungary. We utilized that loan appropriately, and proof that we used it correctly can be found in today’s report from the State Audit Office,” added the PM.
Mickoski pointed out that, contrary to the scandals alleged by the opposition SDSM, the information available so far indicates that the funds from the Hungarian loan have been used to support the economy and the domestic business sector, a fact also confirmed by a report from the State Audit Office (SAO).
“Today, the State Audit Office confirmed that the funds from the Hungarian loan are intended for the growth of the Macedonian economy; a portion is earmarked for the repayment of a Eurobond, amounting to half a billion, that was issued by your [the previous] government, while another portion is intended to support the Macedonian business sector,” said Mickoski.
“In other words, over these past six months, there hasn’t been even a trace of crime; on the contrary, there is confirmation that this government has done a good deed for this country,”Mickoski pointed out.