site.btaMickoski, Opposition Trade Recriminations for "Erasure" of Macedonian Identity, Language from EU Report

North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said that the Macedonian identity and the Macedonian language were erased from Europe's report in a "Taliban manner".

The PM made this comment at a news conference here on Thursday, replying to a journalist's question about a decision of the three largest political groups in the European Parliament (EP) on dropping all references to "Macedonian identity" and "Macedonian language" from the EP draft resolution on the North Macedonia progress report, as Bulgarian MEP Andrey Kovatchev said in a Facebook post earlier in the day.

"The dropping of the term 'Macedonian identity' and 'Macedonian language' from the European Parliament report on the progress of the Republic of North Macedonia to the EU is as bad as if this term was qualified by 'modern'," Mickoski argued.

Reacting to Kovatchev's post, he commented that he had warned about such "engineering".

"It is nevertheless important to recall that this small step, when 'Macedonian identity' and 'Macedonian language' went through the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs, will be kept in the collective memory as the first time ever that 'Macedonian identity' and 'Macedonian language' have gone through the capital of the EU and through the seat of European democracy - the European Parliament. Secondly, yet again it was demonstrated and proved that [the problem] is not just [the inclusion of] the Bulgarians in the Constitution but goes far far deeper than that. And now all those who used to manipulate, all those who used to persuade us that all our problems would be solved as soon as we amend our Constitution, must go to Macedonian citizens and apologize. Regrettably, what was going on in our country in the course of seven years has led to this situation. I'd rather not say it but I will: the Macedonian identity and the Macedonian language were erased from Europe's report in a Taliban manner. That's what we lived to see in the 21st century. It was inflicted on us by [former foreign minister] Bujar Osmani, [former prime minister] Dimitar Kovachevski, [former European Affairs minister] Bojan Maricik and the rest," Mickoski argued.

Reacting to the Prime Minister's comments, the opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) described Mickoski as "the worst enemy of Macedonian language, culture and identity". 

According to SDSM, it was Mickoski who, guided by narrow political interests, reopened at the EP the closed issue "of the language defined as the only Macedonian language of the Macedonian people".

"Mickoski cannot finger anybody for the defeat that [North] Macedonia is suffering again in Brussels. It is precisely Mickoski and his friend Andrey Kovatchev, who are working together to block Macedonian citizens' European perspective, are to blame for this situation. SDSM won a victory in Brussels with the negotiating framework, which mentions the Macedonian language, and with the signing of the agreement with [the European Border and Coast Guard Agency] Frontex in pure and recognized Macedonian language, without any qualifications, footnotes and asterisks. That was a clear victory for [North] Macedonia and for the citizens, which Mickoski never acknowledged. He was disappointed, silent and displeased, and the reason has now emerged," the SDSM press release said. It calls on the country's Prime Minister "to offer immediate apologies to the Macedonian people for his false promises and to assume political responsibility for the obliteration of the Macedonian language from the European Parliament's report".