Skopje, 13 August 2024 (MIA) - We should be realistic and state that the adoption of the Ohrid Framework Agreement didn’t make either side fully happy and satisfied at the time, but it still brought what was most needed back then and that’s peace, said Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in his address at a formal government session Tuesday marking the 23rd anniversary of the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement.

“The fact we are different on an ethnic, perhaps a religious basis as well, doesn’t make us different in terms of our needs and priorities, and the main need and priority of us all is a better life. We have the same joint problems, and that’s why we should jointly offer solutions and solve these issues. I can’t say that everyone is contributing equally to this process, but the real question is why this is and what the motives are,” Mickoski said.

According to the Prime Minister, for a long time “certain political elites” have used the Ohrid Framework Agreement and ethnic rights “as a cover for their personal often lucrative interests”.

“For certain political parties the [Ohrid] Framework Agreement is the best and is being implemented only when they are in power, as soon as they are in the opposition they come up with criticism and creative solutions for its supplementation, as well as different interpretations of the rights and obligations stemming from it. At the same time, they forget the high price of the agreement and the fact that the agreement was created with a lot of suffering and victims on all sides and in some ways, this is also disrespectful to the victims on all sides,” Mickoski said.

According to the PM, what really matters is “how satisfied the ordinary Macedonian, Albanian, Turk, Romani, Serbian, Vlach, Bosniak, and all others, are today”.

“Patriotism today isn’t measured by the number of flags we wave or how often you discuss ethnic issues or impose dilemmas, but by how many problems you solve on the ground and how you improve lives. The Ohrid Framework Agreement is a part of the Macedonian legislation and Constitution, but what isn’t done yet and what we must work on are the real problems of our compatriots. The public shouldn’t fall in the trap of new, endless ethnic demands by the parties who are now in the opposition,” Mickoski said.

The session was also addressed by Izet Mexhiti, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment and Physical Planning. 

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