Macedonia Deploys Police Amid Skopje Pro-Government, Opposition Rallies

Macedonian authorities have called police units to the center of the country's capital Skopje to ensure order at the ongoing pro-government and opposition rallies, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported Thursday.

SKOPJE (Sputnik) — Police troops, accompanied with special forces, are protecting the government buildings, while some 10 armored vehicles and water cannons were also reportedly on duty in Skopje, dividing the two rival rallies ongoing in the Macedonian capital.

The 15,000-strong pro-government rally is being held near the building of the government, while some 5,000 people have gathered for an opposition protest, demanding resignation of the country's president, Gjorge Ivanov.

The RIA Novosti correspondent reported that the supporters of the opposition were trying to break through the police cordons.

Earlier in the day, the EU-brokered meeting of Macedonia's main political parties leaders, which was expected to take place in Vienna, to discuss the implementation of an agreement between country's political groups aimed to tackle the ongoing political crisis, was postponed.

The so-called Przino agreement implies the participation of the opposition in the government, preparation of snap parliamentary elections and the investigations into a wiretapping scandal that resulted in a number of proceedings against the politicians.

On April 12, Ivanov halted all the legal proceedings against the politicians, violating the Przino agreement. This move was criticized by both opposition and ruling political forces.