The office of Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov issued a press release following his meeting with European high diplomatic representative Federica Mogherini. Responding to a call from Mogherini to give the mandate to form a Government to SDSM leader Zoran Zaev, President Ivanov told her that he is not in a position to do so, citing Zaev’s acceptance of the Tirana platform.
“President Ivanov said that, according to the Constitution, he will not appoint a mandate holder anybody who negotiates on a platform of a foreign country that is used to blackmail Macedonia, to jeopardize its sovereignty, independence and unitary character. This platform presented post – election violates the Constitution and the Ohrid Framework Agreement and puts Macedonia in a subservient position and in a position of dependence toward a foreign country. The citizens voted for European reforms, and not for a foreign platform revelaed post elections”, said President Ivanov. He also noted the absence of official international condemnation of the platform, which constitutes meddling in Macedonian internal affairs. The platform was put together in the Albanian capital of Tirana, by leaders of parties of Macedonian Albanians, together with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.
“The lack of public condemnation for this brazen meddling in Macedonia’s internal affairs creates problems that lead toward wider destabilization and the crisis was deepened by soem non-constructive statements. This is now a chance for the European Union to publicly condemn this interference in Macedonia’s internal affairs and to re-affirm the principle of non-violability of Balkan borders”, President Ivanov told Mogherini, adding that this precedent could be later used in other countries.
According to the press release, Mogherini said that she has full understanding for the complexity of the situation and the role President Ivanov has in the political challenges, and offered to help to avoid turning the political into an inter-ethnic and even geo-political crisis.
President Ivanov’s office said that the long delay in Macedonia’s integration denied the country a right to prosperity and opened it to influence from foreign actors. Ivanov and Mogherini also discussed the refugee and migrant situation in the region, as well as rule of law issues. President Ivanov told Mogherini that Macedonia is tired of double standards in the rule of law, pointing to the lack of respect for the verdict of the International Court of Justice. With regard to the political situation and the rule of law, President Ivanov also raised the need to hold a census of population in Macedonia.
