Do you know that there was a man called Hitler in Macedonia? Unbelievable. Velenovela is going to visit the place where he has lived and will tell you the story of his life.
Analysis with Andreja Stojkovski: the European elections and Macedonian bilateral relations
with the neighbors
The European elections ended without a change in the parliamentary majority, but with an increase in
the number of far-right MPs. The composition of the European Parliament may not undergo major
changes, but changes are taking place in the domestic politics of member states with great political
influence. What this will mean for the Union and its individual policies in the future, we analyze with
Andreja Stojkovski from the Prespa Institute. The enlargement policy, the green agenda, as well as the
Common Foreign and Security Policy are some of the topics we discussed. We also analyzed our strained
relations with our neighbors and the expectations from the future Macedonian Government when it
comes to bilateral agreements with the neighbors.
What course will the new political setup in the EU take?
Macedonia's neighbors are again using the country for internal political purposes, the European Union is
in an election process that has greatly divided the residents of the Union, even greater challenges await
the new European set-up, military hotspots are still part of the world - we talk about these topics in
Labyrinth with the political scientist Viktor Jakimovski.
Does Spain fear a far right blockade to their progressive aspirations?
Spain is one of the countries that recognized Palestine. In its capital, European far right had the biggest
summit ahead of the upcoming European elections. These are the subjects that we discussed with the
journalist Roger Persiva from Madrid, who explained the situation in Spain into detail as well as the
position of the Spanish government.
The second guest in Labyrinth is the political scientist and researcher Sonya Stojadinovic. We discussed
the active wars, as well as Stojadinovic’s researches regarding Chinese investments and loans on the
Balkans and in Europe.
Hypothetically, you have 500 euros surplus and you want to spend it. Go to the Most department store, the guys with the matches will help you. Velenovela will reveal to you the secrets of the great Skopje masters.
Legal analysis of the decision of the International Criminal Court and the proceedings in front
of the Macedonian courts.
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, his defense minister and three Hamas leaders. What this means, who would arrest
Netanyahu, and where he is safe from criminal prosecution, we talk to lawyer Yasmin Kalach. Kalach
does not believe that the Israeli prime minister would travel to countries that are signatories to the
Rome Statute to avoid being detained. Israel's argument that this decision equates both sides is
untenable, the lawyer believes, and says that the court made such a decision because it is not selective.
Meanwhile, Spain, Ireland and Norway have recognized the Palestinian state.
We also discussed the two legal processes currently underway in Macedonia: the detention of Supreme
Judge Georgiev for taking a bribe, as well as the extradition of the double murder suspect Palco and the
start of his trial. Watch the full analysis.
Analysis of Macedonian diplomacy, Callings from Georgia and Ukraine on the situation with
the protests and the war.
The first guest in this edition of Labyrinth is the former Ambassador of Macedonia to Sweden and
Romania, Tihomir Ilievski. We talked about the oath taken by the new President and the reactions it
caused among our neighbors. Despite the reactions and difficulties in bilateral relations, the diplomat is
still optimistic about the European integration of Macedonia, as well as about the normalization of
relations in the entire Balkans.
In Georgia, massive civil protests are taking place over the law on "foreign agents" which moves the
country away from the European path, but also seriously threatens the livelihood and freedom of
Georgian citizens. From Tbilisi, we were joined by Ekaterine Basilaia - director of the Center for Media and Social Research of Georgia, who explained in more detail what this law is and why so many people
took to the streets. We discussed the use of excessive force by the police in arresting peaceful
protesters and the legal fight to protect those detained.
In Labyrinth, we also included the volunteer in the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces, Volodymyr
Sapekhin. Volodymyr has been going to the fronts and back for more than two years. We talked about
the current situation on the fronts, about the progress of Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, but also
about his personal feelings about the two realities he lives in.