DUI today expressed serious concern about the direction the country’s foreign and domestic policy has taken, at a time when North Macedonia needs a clear orientation towards the European Union and coordination of activities within NATO.
They say that instead of strengthening ties with our strategic partners, a rhetoric and practice is being promoted that arouses nostalgia for dangerous projects like the “Serbian world”, with open pro-Russian and pro-Hungarian tendencies.
“While there is talk of “special economic relations” with Hungary and the construction of a “joint region” with Serbia, there is deliberate silence about Corridor 8, a strategic project that connects Macedonia with Albania and Bulgaria, two NATO and EU member states. At the same time, priority is given to Corridor 10, which pushes the country towards an undeclared eastern axis, foreign to European values and the long-term interests of our citizens.
These developments take on full meaning in light of the recent visit to Skopje by Milorad Dodik, known for his anti-Western rhetoric and deep ties to Moscow and Belgrade. During an official reception hosted by the head of state, Dodik used his public speech to increase Euroscepticism among the local public, openly challenging the country’s Euro-Atlantic orientation. This is not just political symbolism, it is a coordinated strategy that comes at a time when the influence of the Serbian Government over our institutions is growing significantly. Also, donations from entities of Serbian origin have been present recently, as is the case in Tetovo.
Furthermore, the involvement of high-ranking religious figures from foreign countries with Eastern leanings in state activities, under the patronage of the current Government, reinforces an anti-Western agenda, at a time when the country needs unwavering focus on the Euro-Atlantic path.
As a result, state priorities are also shifting, and the country risks losing not only the chance for integration, but also for an equal and sustainable regional development. Corridor 10, which orients the country towards the south and east, has been placed before Corridor 8, although the latter is our most direct connection to two NATO members and the European market. It was said that the constitutional changes would be made within 3 to 6 months from the formation of the government, to end today in a vortex where they are no longer talked about at all, while integration has marked regression instead of progress”, accuses the DUI.
This approach, they add, represents a dangerous anti-Western logic, which not only compromises the country’s position in the negotiation process with the EU, but also seriously jeopardizes the progress achieved over the years in interethnic relations. Our commonalities with the West are not only strategic, they are valuable: democracy, equality, coexistence and a functional state. /Telegraph/