Zaev's Successor on Bulgaria: the EU has to Set a Date for the Start of Negotiations

Currently, our country is in negotiations with Bulgaria, which are based on European values and respect all adopted resolutions. This was said by the newly elected leader of the ruling Social Democratic Union in RN Macedonia, Dimitar Kovachevski, during his first public statement. He replaces Zoran Zaev, who has held the post since 2013, BGNES reported.

Kovachevski won the trust of party members who voted in an extraordinary vote yesterday for a new leader of the party. 37,649 people voted for Kovachevski out of a total of 44,406 voters. The other two candidates, Frosina Remenski and Jovan Despotovski, received 2,836 and 3,319 votes, respectively. Former President Zoran Zaev has resigned following the loss of local elections on October 31st this year.

Asked how he would resolve the dispute between RNM and Bulgaria if given a mandate to form a new government in Skopje, Dimitar Kovachevski replied: "Currently, our country is in negotiations with Bulgaria, which are based on European values. They respect all adopted resolutions. We will continue in this spirit. After receiving four positive reports from the European Commission, now is the time for the European Union to set a date for the first intergovernmental conference and the start of accession talks," Kovachevski said.

The new leader of the SDSM announced that debates on future appointments to the government have already begun in the party's governing bodies, but a decision by the SDSM Central Council is pending. "Talks have already begun on taking responsibility for the new government, which means appointing certain positions. The nomination of ministers, personnel decisions is made by the party's bodies ... We will choose the people who will fulfil best the SDSM...

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