Skopje, 17 September 2021 (MIA) – Fortunately, no armed conflicts erupted when the country was gaining its independence. In my opinion, efforts for peaceful resolution of complex issues were crucial in that period, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told an event titled “Road to Independence” held at the government on Friday on the occasion of the country’s 30^th independence anniversary. The event was attended by some of the political stakeholders active at that time. Zaev underlined that during that turbulent period on the global and regional political scene, it was expected for such an event to be accompanied by unrest and armed conflicts, which the country managed to avoid. “That period in our country is closely related to events on the global and regional political scene at the end of the 1980s, like the fall of the Iron Curtain and the breakup of Yugoslavia. So, serious tendencies for turbulent developments and even armed conflicts were expected. Fortunately, our country managed to avoid armed conflicts. However, we’re still mourning the lives of young people who died fighting in the Yugoslav People's Army,” Zaev said. In regard to the referendum question, the PM stressed that it expressed political relations at the time and represented a compromise Macedonian political parties reached after long debate, as well as a consensus between communities. “The biggest community after the Macedonian was the Albanian, which insisted that the referendum question focuses on defining relations between the different communities living in the country, rather than those with the rest of Yugoslavia. A lot of people saw it, and especially its second part, as a hidden trap that the country will rejoin what remains of Yugoslavia. My personal observation of these controversies surrounding the referendum question is that crucial efforts in that period were those for peaceful resolution of complex issues, which were the top priority of President Kiro Gligorov, who was aware of the importance of multi-ethnic life and preserving the peace in the country,” Zaev stressed. The experience of all former Yugoslav republics that declared independence and were faced with armed conflicts urged such caution. Friday’s event was also attended by the country’s first Parliament Speaker Stojan Andov, former PM Ljupcho Georgievski, as well as Vasil Tupurkovski, Ljubomir Frchkoski, Gjulistana Markovska, Naser Ziberi, Xhevdet Hajredini, Muhamed Halili and Denko Maleski. Its aim was to summarize the lessons learned from the challenges stakeholders faced while preparing for the independence referendum.