Skopje, 13 August 2024 (MIA) - The country can only move forward through good interethnic relations between the Macedonians and Albanians, said DUI leader Ali Ahmeti at an event organized Tuesday by the DUI-led European Front to mark the 23rd anniversary of the Ohrid Framework Agreement.

“The Macedonians as a people, as a nation, can only progress through communication and coordination and good relations with the Albanians. Otherwise, they will be swallowed by the Serbians, Bulgarians and Greeks. I am not telling this only to you, but to all other Macedonian political representatives. Through coexistence and cooperation, we can preserve the history, the identity, and they can preserve their national identity, otherwise their fate is to not exist at all,” Ahmeti said. 

The marking of the 23rd anniversary of the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, according to Ahmeti, has special significance for the country “which wasn’t split because it agreed on equality and this is why we protect and fight for this agreement, which represents salvation for both the Albanians and the Macedonians as the two largest communities”.

“History, doesn’t forget,” Ahmeti stressed “and the European Front won’t stop in its protection of the legitimacy, and to that end we will discuss and hold consultations with professionals, domestic and foreign experts”. 

At the event, DUI's Bujar Osmani presented a draft of the “platform for legitimacy” drafted by U.S. expert Paul Williams, composed of measures “that will protect and reflect the country’s multiethnic character in order to ensure proper implementation of the Agreement”.  

“The flagrant violation and ignoring of the electoral will of the second-largest ethnic community in the country, the Albanian community, is contrary to the sixth amendment of the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia and the principle of fair representation. Considering the goal of the Ohrid Framework Agreement and the Constitution it is essential to implement measures that will protect and reflect the multiethnic character of the country to ensure a proper implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement. Measures such as a government with ethnic legitimacy strengthen the Agreement and should be strengthened with further initiatives aimed at securing a continued implementation of the Agreement,” Osmani said.

According to Osmani, the exclusion of the political party or coalition “that won a majority of votes at the last elections, doesn’t fulfill these expectations”.

“In the implementation of these measures we will carefully include the principles and successful practices from Northern Ireland, Belgium and Switzerland, while also leaning on our established approaches, in order to ensure an inclusive solution, in line with the context created by the recent irrational activities, specifics, circumstances in the multiethnic and multicultural society of North Macedonia,” Osmani said.

The event was also addressed by Alliance for Albanians leader Ziadin Sela; Nova Republika leader Ivon Velichkovski; Bosniak Democratic Union leader Munir Kolashinac; European Democratic Party leader Arianit Hoxha; Democratic Party of Turks leader Beycan İlyas. 

Photo: MIA