The Russian Embassy reacts to Petrovska's statements: We are surprised
We were surprised to hear the statements made in recent days by the Minister of Defense of the RSM Ms. Petrovska regarding "the deployment of the armed forces by the Russian Federation which is provocative and has a destabilizing effect" (interview with TV24 from January 23) and " "Preparation of analyzes for the possibilities for potential participation" of the RSM Army in case of the "Russian invasion of Ukraine" (interview for Telma TV from January 24), the Russian Embassy in Skopje wrote this afternoon on social networks.
Here is the full response of the Embassy of yesterday и the day before yesterday statement by the Minister of Defense Slavjanka Petrovska.
"We pay attention to the absolutely clear statements of the Russian leadership - Russia has never threatened the Ukrainian people anywhere and does not intend to take any aggressive action. In other words, we will not attack, invade or hit Ukraine. As for the Russian troops - they move through their own territory and have every right to do so.
As for Ukraine, Kiev continues to stubbornly evade its obligations under the Minsk Agreements, which include, in particular, establishing a direct dialogue with Donetsk and Luhansk and enshrining in the Constitution a special status of Donbass. Consistent and full implementation of the Minsk "Package of Measures" from 2015 as an alternative alternative solution is a necessary condition for resolving the intra-Ukrainian crisis. We see the risk that Ukraine will become more integrated into NATO, even without gaining formal membership status. This is what directly affects Russia's security interests. Achieving a turnaround in this situation is the focus of our attention. This is the basis of our proposals for the provision of strong, legally binding security guarantees by the United States and NATO.
"We hope that the head of the Ministry of Defense of the RSM will take into account the real situation when setting priorities for the work of the ministry headed by her," reads the reaction of the Russian Embassy.