Skopje, 13 August 2026 (MIA) – The 25th anniversary of the Ohrid Framework Agreement was marked Thursday with government members holding a formal session. Bekim Sali, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of European Affairs, and Aleksandar Nikoloski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, in their addresses noted that the historic agreement has left a permanent mark in the country’s development.

“A quarter of a century is long enough to draw conclusions and to be able to see some things from a distance. To also give an overview that may be more objective than what had been taking place back them,” Deputy PM Nikoloski said adding some of the participants are still alive and active while other are no longer with us.

Macedonia was hit by one of the most difficult crises in recent history, according to him. “Knocking at the door, the conflict brough uncertainty, division and fear and the country was on the brink of becoming a country of division and strong nationalism. 25 years ago, the country could have taken this path, but it chose a completely different path – a path of cooperation, dialogue, mutual respect and mutual understanding,” Nikoloski stressed.

He mentioned that representatives of the international community, NATO and EU “where the country naturally belongs with a clear pro-Western and pro-Atlantic commitment” were involved in the agreement being reached.

“We have to be honest - I always want to be honest and say that decades after the signing of the agreement, there were individuals and entire political structures as well as political parties, which are fortunately no longer part of this government, who took advantage of this agreement to meet their personal interests. They are trying to cause division; trigger fake nationalism and ethnic tensions and we must admit they had largely succeeded. In fact, most of it was done in the name of personal and family interest,” said Deputy PM Nikoloski.

Today, he noted, we are building a modern and prosperous country with major investments in construction, infrastructure and education amongst other things.  

The Framework Agreement, Nikoloski said, is a chapter of our history during which we have learned to live together and it is also our duty to hand over to future generation a just, united and prosperous country.

With this agreement, said Bekim Sali, First Deputy PM, our country had chosen to build stability on partnership between the communities and civil equality rather than on the logic of the majority and the minority.

“These anniversaries always bear a significance because they refresh the memory and give us the opportunity to re-examine the foundations our society and country was built on. And to contemplate about the responsibility we have today for the future. The Ohrid Framework Agreement was an instrument to end the 2001 conflict. It was a political agreement that offered a new way of organizing and functioning of the Republic of North Macedonia,” said Sali, who also serves as minister of European affairs. 

The Ohrid Agreement, he added, laid the grounds for a new political standard that democracy cannot be measured only through free elections, but also through the institutions’ capacities to provide inclusivity, fair representation, dialogue and public trust. 

Our duty today, stressed the deputy premier, is not only to protect the Ohrid Agreement but also to develop it.

“Every generation has a duty to enrich the legacy that was handed over. If politicians in 2001 had built peace and institutional equality, our generation should build a long-term trust between the communities, to build more efficient institutions and to build a country that is functioning according to the highest European standards. It is the true meaning of honouring the Ohrid Agreement,” Sali said.

Referencing the spirit of the 2001 agreement, Sali said he is confident that the country will be stronger than ever when it will be invested in dialogue, cooperation and credible institutions.

“This is our vision for a just, democratic and European country. A country in which equality is not a privilege, but a principle; a country in which diversity is not a challenge, but a political and social capital. May this milestone serve not only as a reminder of what we had done, but as a commitment for what we have to build,” concluded Deputy PM Sali.

Photo: MIA