Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski is departing today with a Government delegation for a visit to the United States. Meetings are scheduled at the Senate, Congress, and the State Department, as well as with representatives of defence investment support institution DFC and influential think-tank organizations. Mickoski will also lead the delegation at the United Nations General Assembly session in New York next week. As he announced last night, there are currently no plans for a meeting with the Bulgarian delegation.
In New York, on the sidelines of this year’s UN General Assembly, I will meet with a number of state officials. We already have confirmed meetings. In principle, we have focused on the neighborhood; naturally, there is the reception hosted by the President of the United States. We will also attempt to hold bilateral meetings with Gulf countries, where we believe we should build good and solid partnerships. As for a meeting with the Bulgarian delegation, we do not currently have such a meeting planned, the Prime Minister noted.
Regarding the meeting of Western Balkans leaders—usually organized by the European Union delegation in New York during the General Assembly — and concerning Bulgaria’s conditions for constitutional amendments and Macedonia’s position on guarantees, Mickoski reiterated that this Government pursues a clear policy without resorting to any grandstanding or publicity stunts. “We do not change our positions instantly or overnight, because forming a position is a long-term process. We anticipate everything possible at the time, so our positions are multi-layered; they are not stances we construct ad hoc and then alter as needed. We do not engage in such attention-seeking stunts; instead, we pursue a clear policy that offers long-term guarantees. That is this Government’s strategy. As for the meeting—yes, it has been confirmed. Who attends depends on the level: if it involves heads of state or heads of government, I will attend, of course; if it is at the level of foreign ministers, then the Minister of Foreign Affairs will attend,” said Mickoski.
