After President Gjorge Ivanov on Tuesday blocked legal proceedings against former leading political figures, and announced an amnesty, riots broke out in Skopje. Hundreds of people gathered in the center of the capital and chanted anti-government slogans, which was followed by acts of vandalism. For the second night in a row there are spontaneous actions directed against the current government.
EU politicians have reacted immediately to what is happening, accusing the president of Macedonia of violating the rule of law. In official statements they have voiced "deep concern" about what is happening. This is not the first time that the West is interfering in the internal affairs of Macedonia.
The incident at the Greek-Macedonian border a few days earlier, where tear gas was used against undocumented immigrants, was also interpreted as an episode in a series of actions of an "oppressive regime".
It is obvious that since the attempts of the United States and George Soros, through opposition figure Zoran Zaev, to blackmail the country's government of Nikola Gruevski with records received from the CIA, failed to achieve significant results, the West decided to run a tighter scenario. If the government makes significant concessions to the liberals backed by EU and US with diplomatic pressure, they will be able to quickly seize power in the country.
The only option is the introduction of strict measures against organized riots. This may result in sanctions by the EU and the US, but in strategic terms for Macedonia, this is the better option. The EU can only scare Macedonian leadership which does not lead the country into the EU and NATO. But in fact, due to the pressure from the West, targets are China's investments in the country, and previously with the possibility of the Russian gas pipeline. At any rate, further rapprochement with the West means a loss of sovereignty for Macedonia, while balancing a neutral status can bring dividends in the future.
