Skopje, 18 January 2023 (MIA) — The Alliance for Albanians opposition party may join the ruling coalition if the parties reach an agreement, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski told a news conference Wednesday.

“The Alliance for Albanians has expressed political will in favor of the state’s European concept. Will they enter the government? Yes, there is a chance of this happening. Just like other political leaders have said. And will this happen? It depends on the political agreement,” PM Kovachevski said, adding that the parties needed to work out both their program priorities and personnel issues. 

“Until this happens, we cannot say with certainty that there will be another government partner,” he said.

In response to a reporter’s question, Kovachevski said the ruling coalition was open to parties supporting “the European North Macedonia concept because the faster accession of the country to the European Union depends on us.”

Highlighting that the parliamentary majority was not being questioned, he said recent political developments were “more about some political parties having discussions within their ranks.”

Asked about DUI leader Ali Ahmeti’s "alliance for Europe" initiative, the PM said some parties supported North Macedonia’s NATO and EU membership, including the SDSM, DUI, Alternativa, and the Alliance for Albanians; and some parties, “primarily Levica and their hostage VMRO-DPMNE” were against NATO and EU membership. 

“I think that's a wrong concept, because it does not offer an alternative. Even worse, Levica does offer some kind of Eurasian Union alternative, which in no case is in line with our country’s citizens’ aspirations,” Kovachevski said.

He reiterated that the ruling coalition would welcome any political party that wanted to be part of its "alliance for Europe."

“This is the only way forward for our country so we can achieve economic prosperity, social security, and the rule of democracy above all, and fulfill the expectations our citizens set before politicians exactly 31 years ago – for an independent Macedonian state that is a member of NATO and the EU,” the prime minister said.

Commenting on media speculations that former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev was planning to have him ousted, Kovachevski said Zaev himself had dismissed the rumors.

“First, I am not a person who is afraid. I have already shown this. Second, SDSM’s former president himself publicly denied those claims. And third, all SDSM decisions are made by the official bodies of the party, its leadership, the executive and the central boards, and every decision so far has been made unanimously, with not a single vote against,” he said. mr/