Hari Kostov

Prime Minister of Macedonia

(RFE/RL, MIA, Makfax - 31/05/04; RFE/RL - 14/05/04; Reality Macedonia - 13/05/04; Macedonian Government Agency of Information)

Hari Kostov was appointed prime minister of Macedonia on 3 June 2004. He replaced Branko Crvenkovski, who won the 28 April runoff vote in the country's early presidential election.

An economist by training, Kostov was serving as interior minister when Crvenkovski nominated him for prime minister on 14 May.

Kostov was born on 13 November 1959, in the village of Pisnica, Probistip. He graduated from the Faculty of Economics at St. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje in 1983.

In 1988, after serving for five years in the government of the Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, Kostov was appointed an economic advisor at cabinet level. He remained at that post until February 1994, more than two years after Macedonia's split from Yugoslavia in November 1991.

Kostov was appointed deputy finance minister in 1994, during Crvenkovski's first term as Macedonian prime minister. He headed the country's steering committee on bank reform.

From August 1995 until October 1996, Kostov served as assistant to the World Bank executive director for a group of countries including Macedonia. Until his appointment as interior minister in 2002, he worked as the chief executive of a commercial bank.

Addressing the Macedonian Parliament after being named prime minister, Kostov said his government's top priorities would include full implementation of the Ohrid Accord, economic progress and integration into Euro-Atlantic structures. He also pledged stronger efforts in the fight against organised crime and corruption, and in improving interethnic relations in the country.

"Only strengthening and improvement of interethnic relations, interethnic trust, real and permanent co-existence, ethnic and religious tolerance and respect for human rights and freedoms are a real way to permanent peace and political stability. The [Ohrid] Framework Agreement and its principles, rights and obligations have determined the way, which is the only way towards Euro-Atlantic integration," Kostov said.