Struga, 4 October 2022 (MIA) – The country is fully prepared for reception of Ukrainian refugees, if necessary, Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski said on Tuesday. Minister Spasovski told reporters that the country has activated the Temporary Protection Directive, refuting the claims by the Macedonian Young Lawyers Association that North Macedonia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina have not made this move. “No, we have activated this mechanism and are fully prepared. About 21,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered the country’s territory until now, people who primarily have family or friends here, while some work in IT companies operating in the country. There is a small number of persons who have filed an application for humanitarian assistance. North Macedonia is fully prepared for reception of Ukrainian refugees, if necessary,” said Spasovski after taking part at an event focused on migration, organized by the Red Cross of North Macedonia. Zoran Drangovski of the Macedonian Young Lawyers Association said several thousand of Ukrainians are currently in North Macedonia, facing serious difficulties. “EU states have activated the Temporary Protection Directive that is also part of our Law on International Protection, but North Macedonia has not activated this protection and Ukrainian refugees are left on their own to fight for their status. Some have applied for temporary protection, which is another type of protection provided by the Law on Foreigners, but this protection does not give them the right to work or use health insurance, get free education etc,” said Drangovski. Red Cross general director Sait Saiti said there are about 250-300 Ukrainian nationals in North Macedonia. “They are completely taken care of by the Red Cross regarding humanitarian assistance and medical care. We are working on enlarging our services by setting up a facility for Ukrainian children and meet their needs,” said Saiti.