Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Stavreski held a press conference on Monday evening, after leader of the opposition Social Democrat Union of Macedonia (SDSM) Zoran Zaev aired several audio recordings he claims are wiretapped conversations between Stavreski and Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska. In the conversations, the persons are discussing shortfalls in the budget, problems balancing the budget and cuts in some areas with large expenses in the Culture department.

Stavreski said he will not comment on the tapes that Zaev aired, saying these recordings were gained illegally, and that the entire matter belongs before the court. He did say that SDSM seems to be trying to create a situation of division among Government ministers, as the tapes contained insults seeming aimed at other Government members. Stavreski said that the tapes are clearly selected to sow division, and the conversations heard there are not representative of the atmosphere in the Macedonian Government, where there are arguments, there are disagreements, but in the end there is always a solution being reached. Stavreski also dismissed talk from Zaev at the press conference earlier on Monday, that the Macedonian budget is empty.

"For years our citizens have been hearing predictions of gloom from the opposition, that there will be no money left for salaries, for retirement payments, for infrastructure, and yet, each year we see that the retirement incomes are paid the first week of the month and are growing constantly, that the salaries and welfare payments are paid on time and are being increased, and that agriculture subsidies are growing and that we are building a record number of highways in the country. This is not good for the economy, and it is probably part of Zaev's strategy is to disrupt this good trend in the Macedonian economy. The opposition has long, even before Zaev, adopted the attitude that, the worse for the people and the economy, the better it is for them. That is a bad political approach and is constantly being punished in the elections", Stavreski said at the press conference, during which he pointed out to his achievements as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. Stavreski said that the debt has been reduced to under 35 percent of gross domestic product, 30 major foreign companies were brought to invest in Macedonia, and the unemployment level has been reduced from the 37 percent at the time when SDSM left power in 2006, to 28 percent, with 125.000 new jobs opened in the term of the VMRO-DPMNE led Government.

Stavreski conceded that differences of opinion are expressed in the Government, with some ministers being more offensive, while others willing to play defense, but he said that the ultimate decision is on the coach - Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

"It is natural that all ministers want more money for their departments. Prime Minister Gruevski wanted more money for retirement income increases, but my duty as Finance Minister is that, despite the fact that I want to do so too, we need to be realistic about how big this increase can be", Stavreski added.

Asked about the investment in construction of new Government buildings, museums, the restoration of the old theater and a number of monuments in the capital Skopje, Stavreski said that these investments in culture are part of the Government program. The voices on the tapes Zaev aired are heard disagreeing with the level of investment in Culture, calling it crazy and irresponsible. Stavreski said that he has often discussed the speed and dynamics of this investment with Gruevski and with Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska Milevska, adding that many projects were eventually done in a way that is much different from the original idea. "My job was to make sure that a good analysis is performed so we know how much money we can spare from the budget", Stavreski said.