According to Reuters, the United States urged Macedonian leaders on Monday to end a political stalemate and allow the parliamentary majority made up of Social Democrats and parties representing ethnic Albanians to form a new government.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs of the US Hoyt Brian Yee during a visit in Macedonia on Monday said that:
“We understand there are concerns about the composition of the government program and, like in all European democracies, we believe that whatever is proposed by the majority should be considered seriously in parliament, debated in parliament and voted in parliament.”
Yee stressed out that the political parties’ leaders should reach an agreement between them to form the new government.
“We feel that it is very important for the leaders to find a way to allow the majority in parliament … to propose a government and a government programme”.
Yee stated that the new Head of Macedonia Parliament Talat Xhaferri was elected through a legal process from the new majority coalition.
Yee visited Macedonia after more than 100 people were injured last week in clashes inside and outside parliament over the election of an ethnic Albanian as speaker of the assembly.
Yee condemned the violence happened in Macedonian Parliament and called on authorities to investigate the incident.
The Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs met with President Gjorge Ivanov, Democrat leader Zoran Zaev, and VMRO-DPMNE leader Gruevski.
After meeting with Yee, the Macedonian President Ivanov urges the Democratic leader Zaev to assure the Macedonian citizen that his coalition will work according to the to the constitution and uphold national unity.
During the meeting with Brian Yee, President Ivanov reiterated his stance regarding the platform between the Albanian parties, signed in Tirana.
“The declarations of Tirana cannot be a condition, not a basis for the formation of the Government in the Republic of Macedonia,” said President Ivanov.
Former Prime Minister Gruevski, the leader of VMRO-DPMNE, made no comment regarding the meeting, while the leader of opposition Zoran Zaev said that the USA supports the election of the Speaker of Parliament from the new parliamentary majority and encourages the continuation of government formation processes.
After the meeting, Parliament’s newly elected speaker, Talat Xhaferri said that he assured the US diplomat that he will be the Speaker of all MPs in parliament, regardless which force they represent.
