Skopje, 15 December 2023 (MIA) – The opinions of anyone in this democratic society are legitimate, so I can’t provide additional comments, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski on Friday, asked to comment on the letter sent by former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in response to the decision of the United States to designate former Deputy Prime Minister for significant corruption.

“The United States are our strategic partner, and they make their decisions on the basis of information and procedures carried out within their own institutions. I can’t talk about that, nor do I have any information. The opinions of anyone in this democratic society are legitimate, so I can’t provide additional comments. Ultimately, it is a decision by the U.S., and their Ambassador to Skopje held a briefing about it,” said Kovachevski.

Asked if he has information if anyone from SDSM, the party he leads, could be designated by the U.S., Kovachevski said he wouldn’t comment on processes that the Government isn’t a part of.

“I can’t speculate or make comments about a process that the Government isn’t a part of in any way, so you will have to direct your question to those who are leading those processes, in this case the U.S. The Government has not been contacted about this issue,” said Kovachevski.

The United States designated former Deputy Prime Minister Kocho Angjushev as “generally ineligible for entry into the United States, due to his involvement in significant corruption”. In a press release, the U.S. Department of State clarified that during his tenure as Deputy Prime Minister, “Angjushev abused his official position to benefit his private business interests, undermining the confidence of North Macedonia’s public in their government institutions and public processes”.

Following Angjushev’s designation, former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev addressed the public in a letter saying “Angjushev and his team were some of the most dedicated and most competent people” during his term as the country’s Prime Minister.

“Without commenting or going into details over the justification of the State Department’s decision to declare former Deputy Prime Minister Kocho Angjushev as ineligible for entry into the U.S., I will note, as I have done in the past when I was Prime Minister, that I stand ready to provide all necessary answers and clarifications on certain topics of interest to our strategic friends and partners, related to any social, economic, and political topic in the country, including the basis for the suspicions against Angjushev,” wrote Zaev in his letter.

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