Tetovo, 11 August 2021 (MIA) - The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minster of Political Systems and Inter-Community Relations, Artan Grubi, said Wednesday in Tetovo that a concert to celebrate 20 years since the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement has been cancelled. By cancelling the event, he said, the Ministry shows virtue by honoring the protection measures against COVID-19. “We planned a huge concert in Macedonia Square in Skopje on August 13 in accordance with the program for celebrating the Ohrid Agreement, but the Ministry decided not to have it due to the new coronavirus situation, which shows our virtue and understanding by cancelling all events where there would be risk of infections,” Grubi said attending a panel discussion at Tetovo-based South East European University concerning the 20-year anniversary. There is still going to be a celebration at a hotel where there will be around 200 people. “All events, including the one held today, follow COVID-19 protocols. The central event at Aleksandar Palace hotel on Aug. 13 will take place in a hall that can fit 1,500 people, but less than 200 people will attend. Everyone will be wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, and we will also be taking people’s temperatures before they enter. That’s why I don’t understand the mass hysteria on social media. I hope this doesn’t relate to the Ohrid Agreement and its implementation, but that it is truly a concern for all the healthcare protocols,” the First Deputy PM said. At the SEEU panel discussion, Grubi pointed out that the main complaint at previous meetings is the implementation of the constitutional provisions from this document. He said that implementation represents a daily and lifelong process and the next phase will involve decentralization and equal regional development. “The main concern relates to the implementation of the Agreement’s provisions, and we all found that the normative part that comes from the Ohrid Agreement and the Constitution in accordance with it has been adopted by the Assembly and the institutions, and the implementation occurs every day, forever, because we’re working on implementing constitutional and legal provisions that we, the citizens and institutions, are bound to by law. That’s why I think there’s a need and there’s room to improve, especially the legal representation, as well as equal development of regions. Academician Bedzeti contributed to passing the laws in the government, which have been submitted to the Assembly. Hopefully, MPs will adopt them in the coming several weeks to allow us to start working on equal regional development as a precondition for further decentralization. We’re also deepening fiscal and institutional decentralization in order to strengthen municipalities into becoming true citizen-oriented services,” Grubi stated. Ministers from the junior coalition partner DUI, professors and students participated in the panel. Answering journalist question, Grubi said that members of other parties didn’t come although being invited. dk/ba/