Original title: The name was sold as a whore on the street in front of MRTV
On June 28, the Netpress portal published an article with the above-mentioned title, in which the author makes his own “analysis” of the audio bomb from the conversation between Zoran Mileski-Kicheec and Miodrag Davidovic-Daka. So, among other things it is stated: “to take money for changing your name, from a very suspicious person who obviously has connections with the services and, as defined by the media in the region – is a Russian man, is a contemp and shame that will follow him for the rest of his life. On his forehead, it will be written – “He sold his biblical name Macedonia.” According to the author of the text, the Russian money allegedly ended up in the Government with the duo Zaev and Rashkovski. As a conclusion to the unfounded accusations, not supported by any credible evidence, the author writes: ” to sell yourself for 300 thousand euros, where Kicheec is a mediator, to change your name is like selling yourself in front of MRTV – the lowest bottom line.”
You can find the link to the original text here.
Without going into the authenticity of the audio bomb, it is enough to know that the businessman Daka himself denies these accusations against the Government of Zoran Zaev.
Montenegrin businessman Miodrag Daka Davidovic had a public reaction, calling the article in the Macedonian media inaccurate and malicious. “The fact that I paid the stated funds to Zoran Milevski during the government of Nikola Gruevski, and not during the Government of Zoran Zaev, also confirms how untrue the articles are, and above all with the purpose of twisting them”.
“It is true that at the meeting with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev I presented my plans regarding the construction of a mini-hydropower plant and wind energy parks. However, I have been informed that all concessions for this type of activity are on preferential tariffs and are already granted, directing me to the Secretary-General of the Government Dragi Rashkovski to check what are the plans of the Government for the future, related to granting new concessions. However, to this day I have not received any information that would indicate that in the future I could expect the realization of the said project… the qualifications of certain media, that this case is bribery, are inaccurate and malicious, and only harm this country, because this is a bad message to all foreign investors who want to invest in North Macedonia ”.
According to the above, the very acknowledgment of the businessman Daka that the money was given during the government of Nikola Gruevski, is sufficient proof that no money has been given to change the name, as claimed in the article of the portal Netpress.
This narrative against the Prespa Agreement is not new. Some media often use it when creating their own articles. Especially now in the election campaign, it is intensified again in order to influence the public with a particularly sensitive topic, the name and identity, in the direction that they are allegedly manipulated. Such unsubstantiated and unproven serious allegations, which are made “flatly”, can only harm the audience, which often doesn’t verify the facts and evidence.
The Prespa Agreement was followed by disinformation narratives from the very signing, during the referendum, and they are still not calming down. You can read more about this in the F2N2 analysis. The Prespa Agreement opened the door for the membership of the Republic of North Macedonia in NATO, and the start of negotiations with the European Union.
