Latest News & Developments

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Originally Posted by Carlin

Arben Taravari suggests the creation of ethnic federal units in Macedonia, according to the Swiss model

https://english.republika.mk/news/ma...e-swiss-model/

What do Taravari and Mihajlov have in common? Both support the "Swiss Model".

[Carlin]

Injuries reported after a firefight in front of a mosque in Skopje

Injuries are reported after an armed incident in front of a mosque in Cair in Skopje.

Initial reports indicate that there are injuries, after a firefight between two groups of people. Cair has been plagued by serious violence between Albanian drug gangs in the past months.

https://english.republika.mk/news/ma...que-in-skopje/

[Carlin]

Corruption involving Bechtel Contract

https://www.minareport.com/us-embass...htel-contract/
https://twitter.com/Cvetin/status/16...Cx7ceDiugtAAAA

The US Embassy issued several statements with regard to the highly corrupt highway contract with US firm Bechtel. The deal is receiving serious criticism in Macedonia, for its price tag (1.3 billion EUR before any land is purchased), for its no-bid character and for the additional demands by Bechtel that Macedonia must rewrite a number of laws, including the labour code in order to expand the work week from 40 to 60 hours.

In a statement for the state ran MIA news agency, the US Embassy said that it fully supports investments that benefit the people of Macedonia. The Embassy also adds that it has no place at the negotiating table, since this is not a project of the US Government. However, several US State Department Employees are now Executives at Bechtel, including Brian Hoyt who was instrumental in the change of Macedonia’s name.

MIA quotes the Embassy as saying that, if there are questions about inappropriate actions during this or other Government procurement contracts, they should be investigated, before pointing out that Bechtel-Enka has implemented a number of large projects in the Balkans, forgetting to mention that every single one of them was marred by a corruption scandal.

Journalist Goran Momirovski, who has a show on Alfa TV, and was outspoken in his criticism of the project, also had a statement from the Embassy, in which it noted that Bechtel is not an entity of the US Government and the highway contract was not negotiated by the Government. The Embassy notes that, while promoting economic development and commercial partnership between the two countries remains one of its primary goals, it was not included in determining the outcome of private investments. Sometimes its role is in “advisory capacity” for US companies who want to expand here, Embassy officials told Momirovski, but the Embassy does not dictate terms or participate in the negotiations.

Meanwhile, under strong public pressure, Zaev appointed PM Dimitar Kovacevski said that he will show the contract that his chief deputy Artan Grubi negotiated with Bechtel, to members of Parliament who have a security clearance. Initially the Government tried to keep the contract a secret. Nine members of Parliament from the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party have such clearance – the party says that it already has the contract, provided by whistleblowers, and is revealing the damning clauses that Grubi signed with Bechtel. These include wide allowance for exploitation of minerals along the route, long work weeks, exemption from paying taxes on fuel and the use of foreign arbitration in case of dispute. VMRO especially pointed out to the fact that Bechtel wants Macedonia to allow owners of illegally built homes to seek damages if the property is expropriated during the construction. Given that much of the highway route goes through municipalities dominated by Grubi’s DUI party, this raised suspicions that their local bosses have already purchased the land that will be expropriated, and are quickly building improvised homes that will have to be paid full price.

[kompir]

Bechtel's shenanigans are well documented, so what would possess the Northodonian govco to jump in bed with them?

[Carlin]

Albanians in Macedonia welcome Vjosa Osmani as their President

https://english.republika.mk/news/ma...eir-president/

Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani was welcomed with billboards in all Albanian during her visit to Tetovo, while Mayor Bilal Kasami welcomed her to the “Dardanian Tetovo”. This is in line with the newly developing Albanian historiography, that marks parts of Macedonia as ancient Dardanian land – and therefore Illyrian or Albanian.

It was not marked who ordered the Albanian language billboards in Tetovo – they did not bear the logo of the city or any institution. But Osmani was clearly welcomed as the actual head of state in Tetovo.

Previously, Osmani visited the majority Albanian municipality Cair in downtown Skopje, where she received similar welcome. She attended the renaming of a street after former Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova – as a push by the municipal authorities to expand the number of Albanian names of the streets in Tetovo.

[Carlin]

"Kosovo responds to the creation of an association of Serbian municipalities in its north by pushing for an association of Albanian municipalities in Nordonia's north and west. More than fair compensation for the loss of Mitrovica"

https://twitter.com/Cvetin/status/16...Cz-daO5u0tAAAA

[Carlin]

Oldest Neolithic settlement found in Vlaho, Macedonia

https://www.google.com/amp/s/history...aho-macedonia/

[Carlin]

SDSM continues improving the signage across the country.

"Rimski most" has been marked/translated as "Romanian bridge".

https://www.minareport.com/sdsm-mp-m...ian-officials/