"Ex Macedonian PM passed through Serbia on way to Hungary"

Aleksandar Vucic said late on Monday that former Macedonian PM Nikola Gruevski reached Hungary on Nov. 12 via Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia.

The president stressed that this happened before an international arrest warrant was issued for Gruevski in Skopje, who fled the country in order to avoid serving two years in jail because of alleged abuse of office related to buying an armored Mercedes car.

The Macedonian Interior Ministry issued the arrest warrant on the evening of Nov. 13.

Speaking for Belgrade-based TV Happy last night, Vucic said that Gruevski left Serbia before the warrant had been issued, and that "arresting him while in transit through Serbia would have been abduction. This is not a wild country, we cannot be arresting anyone (like that)."

Gruevski left Macedonia by entering first Albania, and then Montenegro. At 22:27 hours CET on November 11, he entered Serbia via the Gostun border crossing, and left the country, reaching Hungary via the Horgos border crossing, on November 12, Vucic said.

He added that Serbia "does not have bad relations with Macedonia."

"They are one of the closest nations to us and we are yet to have good relations," said the president.

Asylum Nikola Gruevski (Tanjug, file)

On Tuesday, Nov. 20, Albanian agency INA reported that Nikola Gruevski had been granted (political) asylum in Hungary.

The report is based on unofficial findings of Hungarian media, namely, the website 24.hu. Any of this is yet to be officially confirmed.

Meanwhile, the authorities in Skopje said they would on Tuesday file an extradition request for Gruevski, regardless of whether he has (reportedly) been granted asylum.