Skopje, 29 November 2023 (MIA) - At the Parallel Civil Society Conference within the framework of the concluding session dedicated to the Skopje Declaration, which represents an official document and evidence for further collaboration between the OSCE and civil society organizations with specific commitments and guidelines for their implementation, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani emphasized that he is pleased that we, as chair, have opened a special office of civil society within the OSCE.

According to him, this remains one of the most important added values of North Macedonia’s OSCE Chairpersonship.

Osmani informed that 1,400 international civil society organizations have signed the platform, which, as he said, "demonstrates the importance of our chairmanship."

“North Macedonia is well aware of the crucial role of civil society in respecting human rights, democracy, and ending wars, as when the space for civil society diminishes, democracy declines, and the rule of law diminishes,” Osmani noted.

Osmani emphasized that the fundamental pillars must be strengthened and reinforced, meaning, as he stated, finding a way to unlock the capacity of the OSCE.

“As our chairpersonship comes to an end, my observations and comments on the parallel session as a member that played a crucial role for the OSCE, first and foremost, are that you have done an excellent job, and at the end of the day, we emphasized that this is all for the people,” Osmani noted.

Elina Valtonen, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the incoming chair, emphasized that Finland has great respect for civil dialogue, which, she said, will be further developed.

“This dialogue is crucial when democracy is diminishing, and the alarming number of armed conflicts is increasing,” she said, adding that Finland places special emphasis on collaboration with civil society and human rights defenders.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland and former OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Wojciech Gerwel, emphasized the importance of having a sense of purpose and seriousness.

“It is necessary to safeguard civil society; a significant portion of it is facing repression and often contends with threats from extremists, which are alarming,” he emphasized.

According to the OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, this collaboration is very important and encompasses the comprehensive approach of the OSCE.

The Skopje Declaration encompasses various chapters addressing the rule of law, anti-corruption efforts, empowerment of civil society, gender equality, media freedom, climate crises, human rights, artificial intelligence, migration, and other relevant topics.

In addition to Minister Osmani, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Finland and Poland, and the OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, the conference was also attended by Matteo Mecacci, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Kairat Abdrakhmanov, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) and Teresa Ribeiro, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM).

Photo: MIA