Skopje, 22 February 2024 (MIA) – Caretaker Minister of Interior Panche Toshkovski told Kanal 5 TV on Thursday that VMRO-DPMNE will win the elections, adding that he was sure the party will form a Government doing its best based on principles and values. 

Asked what if constitutional amendments are a condition, he pointed out that he has been telling all the ambassadors during meetings that his greatest wish is to see the country as part of the European family.

"I only want one thing more than that, I only love my people more than seeing Macedonia as part of the European family, and I don't believe you would do anything different than I would," the caretaker Minister of Interior said among other. 

Asked if he is interested in remaining in the current post, Toshkovski said law was his passion, but, he noted, the opportunity to help people is a greater passion.

Toshkovski reiterated his call to SDSM and DUI MPs to pass the Law on Travel Documents. 

"I call on them to change the law, I am asking for 10 months, I am asking for reason. We are the only ones breaking international law at the moment, only Macedonia and Greece," said Toshkovski. 

According to him, there are about 105,000 photographed passport applicants who have not received a travel document. He said those who have been photographed until today, would get their passports, if the dynamics go smoothly, in a month and a half at the most. Currently, Toshkovski added, there are 75,000 new applicants on the active phone line for making appointments for obtaining new personal documents. He also said that over the past days appointments have been rescheduled for an additional 56,000 people who previously had an appointment scheduled for June, July or August.

Regarding the travel documents problem, he said urgent cases can contact his office and the offices of the deputy minister and the additional deputy minister in order to obtain passports, as the Ministry sets aside between 1,000 and 2,000 passport booklets for such cases. 

Toshkovski also mentioned concerns on the part of international partners about the travel documents problem, noting that they have been highlighted at the meeting held by the European Commission's travel documents committee.

"The official letter after the meeting held on February 13, 2024, reads: The member states express understanding for the issue and will to overcome the problem by finding a practical solution in the shortest possible time. The representative of one of the directorates reiterated that participants in the meeting of the travel documents committee showed understanding and flexibility between member states regarding the technical nature of the issue. Considering that only Greece has informed them that it does not accept passports bearing the country's old name, in principle this would mean that at the moment the citizens of Macedonia can enter and exit other EU member states, while indicating that the final decision on accepting the old passports depends on an EU member state itself," Toshkovski said citing the letter. 

Asked whether he feels that he has control in the Ministry of Interior, Toshkovski said the position of a caretaker Minister is a bit uneasy because, he noted, "my signature is tied to the signature of an additional deputy minister".

On the cooperation with Mitko Bojmacaliev, the additional deputy minister of interior in the caretaker government, Toshkovski said it was normal to cooperate, especially in a position when the first and basic goal should be to organize peaceful and fair democratic elections. 

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