Skopje, 13 August 2023 (MIA) - Displaying provocative nationalistic banners that promote schauvinist ideas of 'great states' fuels ethnic hatred and intolerance and attacks the fundamental principles and values of the Framework Agreement and Macedonia's concept as a multiethnic country, says President Stevo Pendarovski on occasion of the visit of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

During the visit, PM Kurti attended a ceremony of renaming a street in Chair from "Second Macedonian Brigade" to "Adem Demaci" and a concert in Tetovo that saw a display of a banner showing a map of "Great Albania".

"Organizers of public gatherings in Tetovo and (the Skopje municipality of) Chair must be sanctioned for violation of the provisions related to the use of the national flag and anthem and the flags and symbols of communities, for their complete disregard of the national symbols. Therefore, I urge the competent authorities to take action as soon as possible," says President Pendarovski.

The President says that the realization of the idea of renaming a street in Chair goes against the principles of democratic debate and observance of the historic legacy of all communities in the country.

"In this sense, I expect the competent inspection services to check if the decision took into account the principle of double majority, namely if council members of non-majority communities voted for the decision," says Pendarovski.

The Office of Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski has said that Kurti's visit to North Macedonia was a private one, with details to be provided by organizers.

"However, the PM's Office believes that displaying flags that are not the national ones goes against the protocols and laws when organizing events attended by foreign statesmen. Furthermore, the type of symbols seen at the event is inappropriate and unlawful in a UN and NATO member-state. Therefore, the Tetovo police department is undertaking measures to identify the perpetrators. The PM's Office has also contacted the Kosovo Ambassador to North Macedonia regarding the symbols used during the private visit of the Kosovo PM," reads the press release.

It also condemns the fact that the Macedonian national anthem and the Macedonian national flag were not played and displayed at an event organized at the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia.

"All regional countries aspiring to make the area prosperous, economically developed and integrated in the EU, but also build friendly relations with neighbors, should enhance this friendship through action and insist on the respect of national symbols, first and foremost, and multicultural specifics of each country in the region. The Republic of North Macedonia is a country respecting diversities and has intensively been building goodneighborly relations based on respect and cooperation, which leads to further development of the country and the region," reads the press release.

In addition, although the local self-government is free to make decisions that concern the municipality, the PM's Office notes its disagreement with the renaming of a street named after the heroic WWII Second Macedonian Brigade, saying the local authorities should have built a new street named in accordance with procedures.

Photo: MIA