North Macedonia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Bujar Osmani made a statement suggesting that it would be beneficial for the exiled former Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski, to return from Hungary to North Macedonia. Osmani emphasized Gruevski’s extensive knowledge of the country, pointing out that it may not be wise to have someone who served as prime minister for a decade and possesses sensitive state information residing in another country.
“From a political standpoint, this issue is likely to be exploited, but from a security perspective, it’s not prudent to have a former prime minister with in-depth knowledge of state affairs living in a foreign country,” Osmani explained in an interview with Television 21.
Nikola Gruevski, the former Macedonian Prime Minister, sought asylum in Hungary in 2018 to avoid prosecution by Macedonian authorities on charges of abusing his official position.
He has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for six criminal offenses, and several other legal proceedings against him are ongoing.
“It would be better for him to return and face the legal processes against him here. This would likely be the most appropriate solution,” added Osmani.
Osmani’s statement coincides with accusations by both Macedonian and Albanian opposition parties, who claim that the ruling parties, the Social Democratic Union (SDSM) led by Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski and the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) led by Ali Ahmeti, are working to facilitate Gruevski’s return to weaken VMRO-DPMNE and secure votes for constitutional amendments.
The Albanian opposition has criticized the explanations given by Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, who is also the Deputy Chairman of BDI.
“Osmani’s explanation is laughable. Gruevski had plenty of time to provide information if he had wanted to,” said Izet Mexhiti, the leader of the Democratic Movement.
Mexhiti publicly questioned whether Osmani had visited Gruevski in Budapest and whether there are plans to bring Gruevski back to Skopje on October 23, VMRO’s day.
The Social Democratic Union has dismissed claims of an “amnesty” for Nikola Gruevski.
“Nikola Gruevski will serve his prison sentence as soon as he returns to North Macedonia, based on the local court decisions,” said SDSM spokesperson Darko Kaevski.
North Macedonia is currently grappling with a political crisis and faces the risk of stalling its European integration process if it fails to pass constitutional changes that include recognizing the Bulgarian minority in the preamble and their status as a state-forming people.
The parliamentary majority has so far been unable to secure the necessary two-thirds majority, or 80 out of 120 votes in the Parliament, and is seeking ways to gain the support of the Macedonian opposition.
