Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski yesterday responded to the demands of VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski for a televised duel or a meeting with him to, as he says, present his concept "for alleviating the consequences of the energy crisis and saving jobs". Kovachevski told Mickoski that this difficult winter and the economic-energy crisis will only be overcome if "we are all focused on finding solutions that will provide energy, electricity and food for the citizens and that this is not the time for political points and tenders, invitations for duels and meetings, but it is time for work, for togetherness and for creating policies for the benefit of all citizens".

- Regarding the offers that VMRO-DPMNE is mentioning in the media these days, given the urgency, I believe that they have already submitted them to the ESM as requested and pointed out by the director of the company, considering the fact that this is the institutional procedure according to which the state can act, Kovacevski told MIA yesterday.

The Prime Minister emphasizes that economic policies are created institutionally in the Government, at the Economic Council and with the participation of all stakeholders, and decisions are made at government commissions and sessions, not at party headquarters and with the help of party structures.

- The Economic Council, in an expanded composition, was established within the framework of the Government, in order to make comprehensive and sustainable decisions in the interest of the citizens in times of crisis, in broad consultation. All stakeholders, representatives of the opposition, chambers of commerce, the president of ZELS, professors from the academic community, have always been invited to this Economic Council, even during the corona crisis, with the sole intention of creating the best solutions for the economic future of the country, emphasized Prime Minister Kovechevski. .

He added that at the last Economic Council in expanded composition, an invitation was also sent to VMRO-DPMNE, but not a single representative from this party appeared at the session.

- The invitation for them remains open for the next Economic Council, which will be held this Wednesday at 12 noon. The government is open and they are of course welcome to present the solutions they have, Prime Minister Kovacevski pointed out.

The leader of VMRO-DPMNE, Mickoski, stated on several occasions this past week that he has contacts with companies from which energy can be purchased at lower prices and that he has a plan to deal with the energy crisis, which is "an opportunity to ensure stable electricity production for households and industry, but also for heating buildings and homes that use central heating in Skopje".

According to Mickoski, with that plan, the state would save 300 million euros, it would enable greater domestic production of electricity, greater Gross Domestic Product, and there would be no increase in heating and electricity bills.

Yesterday, in a post on his Facebook profile, he stated that he offers a concept not only for this fall and winter, but also for next year.

- Of all these political points, I am not interested when the price is the future of Macedonia and thousands of people whose jobs are in question. I really want help, because things are too serious and more important than the vanity of any member of the Government, said Mickoski.

He adds in the announcement that he requested a meeting with Prime Minister Kovacevski to "present the concept for mitigating the consequences of the energy crisis and saving jobs" and invited him to a debate on the topic of energy/economy in a medium of his choice, but that his requests were rejected, so he invited the vice-prime minister in charge of economic affairs, Fatmir Bitici, to a meeting today at 12 o'clock at the headquarters of VMRO-DPMNE, in order to explain his plan and concept in detail.

To this "Facebook invitation" of Mickoski, Vice Prime Minister Bitici also responded through his profile on this social network, pointing out that there is no need for a face-to-face conversation, behind closed doors.

- The complexity of this crisis requires us to rise above ourselves, because solidarity, responsibility and collective wisdom is what will get us through it, Bitici wrote.

He points out that an Economic Council in a broad format is scheduled for Wednesday, at which the doors are open for the opposition.

- The citizens know that for almost three years now I have been publicly calling on them to cooperate and take responsibility in order to deal with the crisis. Here, again, the doors are open, the solutions are always at the table where we all sit together, Deputy Prime Minister Bitici announced on his Facebook profile.

The Minister of Economy, Kreshnik Bekteshi, on Friday called the leader of VMRO-DPMNE from the parliamentary rostrum to publicly announce the contacts for the purchase of cheaper energy and to say which companies they are, what offers and at what prices, or if he does not want it he did, to submit them to the Ministry of Economy on Monday, and he will then personally, as he said, announce them and take them to AD ESM.

– We accept the best offers for the purchase of energy to have lower prices. You talk about contacts. Post them, I will personally call Mickoski if necessary. If he does not want to publish them, let him submit them to me, I will publish them. We are ready to talk with everyone, including Mickoski, to overcome the crisis as easily as possible, with all companies, state or local. I would appeal to the public and the media to be notified immediately, the contacts of VMRO-DPMNE or the offers should be announced, to know where they come from, what their price is. I remind you that the ESM has a legal obligation to choose the cheapest offer, added Bekteshi at the plenary session where the draft decisions were adopted for the continuation of the crisis situation in energy at the state level and in relation to thermal energy at the level of the City of Skopje.

And the general director of AD ESM, Vasko Kovachevski, said on Friday that any offer aimed at overcoming the current crisis is welcome, and therefore all offers from companies that, on the recommendation of Mickoski, will reach ESM in an official form, in accordance with the Law on Public Procurement of Energy , will be immediately considered by the Public Procurement Commission of the company.

- Mickoski stated that he and his party have contacts and indicative offers from companies for the purchase of fuel oil and natural gas, with which the state will save 300 million euros. Therefore, I use this opportunity to publicly call on Mickoski to inform all those companies from which there are indicative offers, which were valid for one week, during the next few days, but not later than Wednesday, to complete the offers and to deliver them to AD ESM, said Vasko Kovacevski.

In relation to Mickoski's demands, SDSM also announced yesterday, assessing that the leader of VMRO-DPMNE does not have a sincere intention, which can be seen from the fact that although representatives of the opposition party are always invited to the sessions of the Economic Council, they do not come.

- Economic policies are created institutionally, in the Government, at the Economic Council, with the participation of all stakeholders, and that is where decisions are made. The White Palace is not a place for solving, but for creating problems, this building is a synonym for corruption and crime, the embodiment of crime from which all the blockades to the detriment of the state arise, the statement of the SDSM states.