Skopje, 5 October 2024 (MIA) - Minister of Interior Panche Toshkovski said Saturday that knowledge, capacity and professionalism, not ethnicity, should come first regarding employments and appointments in institutions, but across society as well.

Asked about the number of ethnic Albanians in managerial posts within the Ministry of Interior, Toshkovski said it has never been important to him whether someone is Macedonian, Roma, Bosniak, Turk or Serb but whether he/she is a professional.

"The person sitting in front of you is an ethnic Albanian who has been appointed assistant minister not because of his ethnicity but due to his long-standing experience in the MoI and his professionalism, and I expect him to contribute a lot in the aspect of the professionalism of police officers. When speaking about professional standards and citizens' needs, we should not refer to the ethnicity. When going to the doctor's office or in a trial, it has never mattered to me if the doctor or the judge is Albanian, Roma, Bosniak, Macedonian, Serb, Turk, English etc. What matters to me is the person's professionalism, knowledge and capacity. This is how we should see things," Toshkovski told a press conference regarding his 100 days in office.

He also presented specific numbers about the ethnic representation in the Ministry of Interior.

"In the Skopje administrative units, 51.96 percent are ethnic Macedonians, 39.37 percent are ethnic Albanians, while 8.67 percent are of other ethnicity. In Tetovo, 23.6 percent are ethnic Macedonians, 66.29 percent are ethnic Albanians, in Kumanovo - 52.83 percent ethnic Macedonians, 45.28 percent ethnic Albanians. We must focus on professionalism for the sake of the people," underlined Toshkovski.

Photo: Screenshot