In the past two days I held meetings with representatives of two companies that plan to invest some EUR 300 million in North Macedonia, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi told Slobodna TV on Wednesday.

“The first one is a strategic investment and the second one a foreign investment, but both target the metallurgical industry. One of the companies is foreign and the other one domestic and they plan to invest some EUR 300 million,” Bytyqi said.

The foreign investor, he added, expressed intentions to hire 60 people, but pay them 30% more than the average salary.

“We need investors like this one, who will support the government’s policy for higher salaries and job protection,” the Deputy PM stressed.

Regarding the impact of North Macedonia’s corruption index rating on foreign companies’ interest to invest in the country and the opposition’s criticism that some foreign investors have terminated state aid contracts, Bytyqi told Slobodna TV that contracts were ended due to failure to fulfil obligations.

“State aid contracts were not terminated at the request of companies, but on the initiative of the government, at the request of my cabinet, because foreign investors failed to fulfill obligations. Some of these companies, that failed to realize investments within the two-year timeframe, will probably want to renew contracts, but other companies are also interested in investing in North Macedonia,” the Deputy PM said.