Skopje, 13 June 2023 (MIA) - In the interest of implementing the constitutional amendments, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski has offered VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski the PM post in the caretaker government, Government sources said on Tuesday, although this position was previously agreed to be assumed by an ethnic Albanian.

"PM Kovachevski believes he should remain in the post until the end of the process of constitutional amendments, but in the interest of the Euro-integration process, he is prepared to cede the PM post to Mickoski in the caretaker government, in addition to five ministries, so that he implements the process to its end," say the Government sources.

SDSM and VMRO-DPMNE have conceptual and procedural differences regarding the constitutional changes, but last week's leaders' meeting did not focus on their content but the deadlines for their implementation.

According to the government sources, Kovachevski found the speed in their implementation as the crucial aspect, considering the circumstances and the timelines set by the EU. The PM believes that a leaders' meeting cannot decide on aspects beyond the Negotiating Framework, since all 27 member-states take this decision through consensus.

One of the demands that VMRO-DPMNE set at the leaders' meeting is a delayed enforcement of the constitutional amendments, but the Negotiating Framework reads they should be implemented upon completion of the screening process and represent a prerequisite for the second Intergovernmental Conference and opening of negotiating clusters. In this context, Kovachevski believes the inclination of Union members over the enlargement process should be utilized, say the Government sources.

They add that the parliamentary procedure of adopting the constitutional amendments requires a minimum of three-and-a-half months, whereas the objective is to complete them in time and to speed up the negotiating process and the Euro-integration accession in general, enabling networking with European markets, economic growth, more investments, exports, new jobs.

On Thursday, say the Government sources, an EU member-state and another country will adopt resolutions supporting North Macedonia's Union accession while reaffirming the Macedonian language and identity. As reported by media, one is Germany, the second being the United States.

The Government finds it exceptionally important to resume the dialogue with the opposition for unity over the constitutional amendments, and will wait a few days for VMRO-DPMNE to delegate its representatives in the working group. However, the Government sources say the opposition party is currently not inclined to taking part in the working group discussions, while adding that each MP is not only a member of the party but also a representative of the people, weighing over 9,000 votes, and therefore should think individually about North Macedonia's future.