The Stracin-Kriva Palanka expressway is already in operation. How does it work? What does this mean for the residents of Kriva Palanka, but also for local tourism? How is life currently in Kriva Palanka? Are young people moving out or are they still continuing their lives in their hometown? What about cross-border cooperation? This morning on the show Free Press For all these questions, we talk to the father of the municipality, the mayor of Kriva Palanka, Saško Mitovski.

The mayor says that at the beginning of this year, the Stracin-Kriva Palanka expressway, whose construction began in 2018, was officially put into operation.

– This is a capital, serious project, which is of particular importance in many aspects for the development of Kriva Palanka. This express road that connects the country with our neighboring country Bulgaria will seriously affect the economic situation and trade exchange of the country. For us as a small town, I believe, but I also claim that it will directly affect the development of the local economy and local business – says Mitovski.

The latest census in 2021 shows that Kriva Palanka has a population of 18.400. However, according to the mayor, there are around 11.000 people.

– Unfortunately, emigration as a global problem has not been left out in Kriva Palanka. Young people are looking for their livelihood and their path outside the city, but also outside the state, and here I believe that in a way this is our collective defeat of all those who have held socially responsible positions, both in the previous period and in this period – says Mitovski.

He says that young people are leaving because of the overall atmosphere in the country.

– They are thirsty for a quality life, a life different from our everyday life. Kriva Palanka does not have a significant local economy at the moment, our largest employer is the lead and zinc processing mine "Toranica", which employs more than 400 people, and I can freely say that the monthly incomes are solid and thus the mine is the driver of the local economy – says Mitovski.

When asked whether there is nightlife and cultural life in his municipality, the mayor says that unlike all previous years, it is now at a higher level.

– First of all, this is due to several key factors. Everything that the municipality has done in the past period, through the creation of program measures, has made Kriva Palanka different from all other municipalities. Last year, Kriva Palanka was a city of culture, with more than 160 cultural events held. I mention this because I believe that what the municipality has done has indirectly influenced the overall cultural life of the citizens of Kriva Palanka. Our city is becoming a small city that is recognized for its tourist offer of restaurant-catering tourism, as a weekend destination – says Mitovski.

In addition to the monastery complex "Joakim Osogovski", the Kalin Kamen site should also be mentioned, on whose urbanization the municipality has worked intensively in the past period. Regarding the cross-border cooperation with Bulgaria, he says that politics has in some way separated Kriva Palanka and Kyustendil.

– In a way, politics had a serious impact, although I will say again, in my opinion, all of this is artificially staged, that in reality, it is not really like that. I believe that we, as the first people, holders of such responsible positions in border towns, myself and the mayor of Kyustendil, have tried in the past period to send completely different messages, we have been sending a speech of friendship, a speech of peace, and I believe that we should move things in that direction in the next period as well – says Mitovski.