“I wish to speak sincerely—as someone entrusted with the honor of leading the Government, and who understands that behind every decision lie human lives, family plans, and hopes. I know there are citizens who are weary of promises. I know there are people who work honestly, yet at the end of the month, they must still calculate what they can afford to pay and what they are forced to postpone. I know there are parents who take pride in their children’s success, while harboring a secret fear that this very success might lead them far away from home,” said Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in his address on the Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle.
“And when the opposition asks, ‘What have you accomplished in the 27 months you have been in power?’… well, during this period—amidst immense challenges and the ‘mountains’ of problems left behind for us, and in the face of perhaps the greatest energy crisis in human history—we are simultaneously constructing six new highway sections, two gas pipelines, and a high-voltage power line. We have already opened one renovated, European-standard student dormitory, with another to follow soon; furthermore, eight additional school and student dormitories are slated for renovation and reconstruction.” More than 90 million euros have been invested in educational infrastructure, and over half a billion euros have been reallocated from the central budget to the municipalities—funding more than 1,200 projects that are currently improving the lives of our citizens in the municipalities and communities where they reside.
And yes—I almost forgot—we are setting right what you so easily sold off, all while kneeling down across the globe, captivated and enamored by plush red Persian rugs and leather armchairs. We are restoring what you sold away: our shared Macedonia! We have the lowest inflation rate in Europe and the region. Yesterday in Montenegro, when I spoke to my counterparts about our economic achievements, some of them approached me personally to say, “You are doing an excellent job.” For the first time since becoming Prime Minister, I felt a sense of pride—and I thank you, as well as all my colleagues in the Government, for your collective contribution to achieving this.
