"One must be realistic and openly admit that the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement at the time did not bring satisfaction or happiness to any of the parties, but it must be noted that it was this agreement that brought peace to the country."
This was stated by the Prime Minister of North Macedonia and leader of VMRO-DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, during today's government meeting, dedicated to the 23rd anniversary of the signing of the Ohrid Agreement of 2001, reported BGNES.
"The fact that we differ in ethnicity and religion does not make us different in terms of our priorities and needs. We are facing the same common problems and therefore we have to solve them together," the Prime Minister said.
He denounced the fact that "ethnic themes are often used for personal gain", adding that some build "careers and business coalitions in its name".
"Some political parties praise the Framework Agreement only when they are in power, but as soon as they are in opposition, they become its harshest critics, forgetting the high price paid for peace," Mickoski added.
"When they talk about European values, know that they are often the ones who violate these same principles. How satisfied is the average citizen today? I refuse to interfere in the ethnic quarrels of individuals, but let us together see how much we can improve the lives of our people. The framework agreement is part of the Constitution, but the unresolved issues are the real problems facing our citizens," the Prime Minister said.
With regard to "patriotism", Mickoski emphasized that they are currently "working on this topic": "Patriotism is the introduction of three investments within one month, the payment of over 1 billion denars from the budget in the form of forgotten subsidies for farmers and the provision of wages for those who have not received wages for 3-4 months. "Patriotism is the allocation of 15 billion denars for investments in the municipalities".
“Interethnic relations are the backbone of our society; they are not just legal obligations or political agreements, but a living process that requires our active participation. May God bless Macedonia," he concluded, again failing to use the country's constitutional name.
BGNES recalls that the Ohrid Framework Agreement was signed on August 13, 2001, by President Boris Trajkovski and Prime Minister Lubcho Georgievski of the then Republic of Macedonia with representatives of four political parties, including ethnic Albanians.
This treaty ended the conflict between the Albanian National Liberation Army led by Ali Ahmeti and the Macedonian security forces.
The agreement laid the foundations for strengthening the rights of ethnic Albanians. | BGNES
