Kuzeska: A private firm financed American lobbyists to promote Mickoski

In a media appearance, Bogdanka Kuzeska, a member of the SDSM Executive Board and spokesperson, raised allegations about a contract between the Skopje-based company “ATS Group DOOEL” and the American lobbying firm “Mercury Public Affairs,” linking this engagement to the spread of messages concerning the Government and Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in the United States.

Referring to the U.S. FARA registry, Kuzeska stated that document number 6170 confirms that “Mercury Public Affairs” was hired by “ATS Group,” a private entity which, according to her, is owned by Shefshet Demirovski.

She specified that the agreement sets a monthly payment of $130,000, amounting to $390,000 per quarter and approximately $1.56 million per year, with a validity period extending through 2026 and 2027.

Kuzeska also stated that on April 2, 2026, according to the documents on which SDSM relies, “Mercury Public Affairs” submitted a file entitled “U.S.-North Macedonia Strategic Partnership.”

In this material, according to her, topics such as tariff elimination, supply of American gas, investments in the information technology sector, access to the U.S. defense industry, and energy initiatives were addressed. Kuzeska directly linked the lobbyists’ activity to the interests that “ATS Group” has in the field of military equipment, as well as to the project for antimony extraction in Macedonia.

She also highlighted the “Geta” project, raising suspicions about the misuse of public funds and possible negative consequences from mining exploitation.

Kuzeska emphasized that SDSM has analyzed all available public data regarding Mickoski’s visit to the United States, which took place from September 15 to 22, 2026.

According to checks on the official websites of the White House, the State Department, the schedules of Secretary Marco Rubio and Deputy Christopher Landau, the Pentagon, RFGJ, and Congress, no official congressional notification (DFCRA) was found, nor any trace of a meeting between Mickoski and Rubio, Landau, or any other senior U.S. administration official.