Macedonia PM 'Sorry' for Hurting Journalists

Skopje _ Macedonia’s Premier has expressed regret for upsetting journalists but has stood by his claims that the country’s Brussels-based reporters are spreading false information.

In an interview for national news agency MIA last weekend, PM Nikola Gruevski accused the journalists of deliberately painting a negative image of Macedonia by reporting that the European Council voiced objections about the standard of Macedonia’s elections. Read more: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/11259/

"My reactions in the interview were motivated by principles and the interests of the country and its people," Gruevski says in a press statement amid outcry over his remarks.

He said he was sorry if he hurt the feelings of journalists who “fulfill their job professionally.”

The freedom of press is crucial for democracy, Gruevski writes in his statement explaining that his recent confrontation with journalists’ associations should be seen in this context.

On Monday Gruevski’s remarks faced criticism from local and international journalists.

“The remarks represent an outrageous and unjustified attack" on journalists’ freedom and illustrate Gruevski’s “lack of maturity in many political circles about the role and responsibility of media in European democracy,” said the European Federation of Journalists’ Secretary General Aidan White.

Macedonia’s Journalist’s Association as well as individual journalists also condemned the remarks asking Gruevski either to prove his claims or to withdraw his allegations.