Traditional pre-New Year meeting of partners of the VMRO-DPMNE-led ruling coalition 'For Better Macedonia', ended up Wednesday with a conclusion that it, as this year, should keep turning its pre-election promises to citizens into reality.

"In this period we have fulfilled a substantial part of our obligations, even earlier than promised, and we shall keep doing it in the future," Prime Minister and VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski told reporters after the gathering.

Today's meeting summarized the coalition's achievements in this and activities for the next year.

"We've agreed that this year has been rather successful for this coalition. This year it scored its biggest election victory, namely won the largest number of votes in its history," Gruevski said.

The coalition also considered this year as rather successful in terms of economy.

"It is obvious that we (Macedonia) shall wrap up this year with the second best economic growth in Europe, right after Great Britain. This year has registered lower unemployment rate and enormous export growth. The foreign-currency reserves have been also growing at an annual rate of 22%. So, I may say that the economy is moving to a positive direction," Gruevski said.

However, it doesn't mean that all problems are solved, he said.

"Unfortunately, due to the blockade, imposed by our southern neighbor, Macedonia is still unable to realize its strategic goals - the EU, NATO membership. Nonetheless we shall continue to work on the matter and wait ready for the moment when these goals may become reality, namely when that blockade will somehow be lifted," Gruevski said.
The coalition partners also reviewed the alternatives for Macedonia's gasification, following the cancellation of the South Stream natural gas pipeline project.

In regard to the boycott of the Parliament by the MPs of opposition SDSM, the coalition concluded that such move was only harmful for the country, and to great extent to the party itself.

"SDSM doesn't enjoy any international support for its actions, neither the boycott nor anything else that equals to destructive policy. While we promote a politics by which we wish to contribute to the country's prosperity, opening of more jobs, attracting more foreign investments, they (SDSM) are entrenched in destructive policy of boycott, some kind of black scenarios, manipulations. slanders, etc...That is not good for the country. It will be good for us to have a healthy opposition, which will offer viable alternative ideas that will call for constructive discussion," Gruevski said.