Gostivar mayor to found new party in Albanian political bloc

Mayor of the Macedonian town of Gostivar Rufi Osmani will soon found a new political party, which will require for Macedonia to become a country of two state-establishing nations – the Albanian and the Macedonian, and for all important state decisions to be passed with concession between the two, Macedonian Dnevnik daily reports. 

Osmani told the newspaper that it has not been decided yet when exactly the party will be found but the process will be slow in order to avoid any mistakes in the selection of the people in the leadership.
There will be young people in the party, who will bring change, mainly in the Albanian political bloc, and will increase the level of responsibility in politics,” Osmani said.

Osmani has discussed his idea with Albania’s Prime Minister Sali Berisha, whom he met during the weekend.
A year ago Osmani won the local elections as a non-attached candidate and got a majority in the Municipal Council of Gostivar. The idea for the establishment of a new party is connected to the upcoming general elections. According to Osmani, Macedonia needs new elections, at least until there is no solution to the name dispute with Greece.

THE HOLOCAUST IN MACEDONIA: DEPORTATION OF MONASTIR JEWRY

In 1941, some 78,000 Jews lived inYugoslavia, including about 4,000 foreign or stateless Jews who had found refuge in the country during the 1930s. Although Yugoslavia had reluctantly joined the Axis alliance with Germany, the Yugoslav government was toppled by an anti-German military coup on March 27, 1941. Nazi Germany invaded the Balkan nations of Yugoslavia and Greece in early April 1941. Supported militarily by her Axis allies (Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, andRomania), Germany quickly subdued the Balkans. Yugoslavia was partitioned among the Axis allies. Bulgaria annexed Yugoslav Macedonia (the area including the cities of Skopje and Bitola in southern Yugoslavia).


On October 4, 1941, the Bulgarians enforced an extraordinary measure that prohibited the Jews of Macedonia from engaging in any type of industry or commerce. All existing Jewish businesses had three months to transfer ownership to non-Jews or sell their assets and close down. In addition, a law that barred Jews from certain areas of town was enforced in Monastir in late 1941. Jews who lived in the more prosperous part of Monastir, located on the east side of the Dragor River, were forced to move to a poorer part of town located near the traditional Jewish quarter on the west side, and this area became the ghetto.


With Monastir's Jews forced into a ghetto and registered, it became easier to carry out the theft of their property. On July 2, 1942, the Bulgarian government demanded that all Jewish households hand over 20 percent of the value of all assets, including property, furniture, cash, and household items. Committees were established to assess the value of the Jews' property. The possessions of those who did not have the money to pay the tax were sold at auction.


All of these degrading, restrictive measures halted normal Jewish life in Monastir. Zamila Kolonomos, a local Jewish woman, lived through these years of occupation in Monastir. She wrote, "Ansina la vida si truko i no avia mas ni enkontros, ni fiestar, ni bodas, ni aligrias" (Thus life was so greatly changed and there were no more get-togethers, no festivals, no weddings, no celebrations).


Though allied with the Germans, the Bulgarian government refused to deport Jews residing in Bulgaria proper. Bulgarian authorities did, however, deport Jews without Bulgarian citizenship from the territories of Yugoslavia and Greece which Bulgaria occupied. They deported the Macedonian Jews in simultaneous actions that began in the early morning of Thursday, March 11, 1943. In Monastir, Skopje, and Štip, where there was a tiny population of Sephardic Jews, several hundred police and soldiers, as well as cart drivers with their carts, gathered at municipal police stations at 2 a.m. to receive instructions for the removal of the Jews and their belongings. In Monastir, the Bulgarian military established a blockade around the city to prevent escapes.


Between 5 and 6 a.m., groups fanned out into the ghetto to bang on doors and order the residents to leave their homes in one hour. The Jews were told that they were being transferred to other parts of Bulgaria and that after the war they would be returned to their homes, but this did little to ease the terror and confusion of this massive eviction. Advance rumors of this action convinced Kolonomos to hide, and that night she and four others sat in a windowless room in a shop and listened to what was happening to their community. Kolonomos wrote,


At dawn we heard the uproar of groups of police. In a moment there was the sound of horses' footsteps and the noise of carts. Then all was calm. Then came a noise like thunder….We asked each other what it could be? Then we were able to discern the sound of voices, shouts, the crying of many people, of babies, of women! We were able to distinguish the words of the Bulgarians who shouted: 'Quickly! Quickly!' The prayers, moans, curses, the crying was clear… They were taking all the Jews, old and young, not just the youths who could work…. A river of people passed alongside us.


At around 7 a.m. the Jews were forced to walk to the railroad station, where a train was waiting to take them away to neighboring Skopje; a temporary detention center had been established at the state tobacco monopoly warehouse known as Monopol. The Monopol was chosen for its ability to hold thousands of people, and also because it was served by a railroad. Albert Sarfati survived the war, and he gave this eyewitness account:


They loaded us into cattle wagons, fifty to sixty people per wagon, including luggage. There wasn't enough space and many had to stand. There was no water. The children were crying … A woman in one wagon was giving birth… but there was no doctor. We reached Skopje at midnight. Night. Darkness. They opened the wagons and in the darkness pushed us into two large buildings. Cars carrying the Jews from Shtip had been added to our train. Stumbling over one another in the darkness, dragging our luggage and continuously being beaten by the Bulgarian soldiers, the children, the aged and infirm tried to squeeze into the building. When the sun rose, we realized we were in Skopje in the building of the Monopoly, and that all the Jews of Macedonia had been rounded up that same day.


For the next 11 days the Monastir Jews, together with Jews from Skopje and Štip, approximately 7,215 in all, lived in crowded, filthy conditions in four warehouses at Monopol. The weather was cold, there was little food and few blankets, and the Jews were continually searched, beaten, and humiliated. Women and girls were raped. Elena Leon Ishakh, a doctor from Monastir who was released from Monopol to work for the Bulgarians, survived the war and left this description of the Monopol:


Hunger pervaded… Only on the fifth day did the camp authorities set up a kitchen, but for over 7,000 of us there were too few stoves. Food was doled out starting at eleven in the morning, and the last ones were fed around five in the evening. Food was distributed once daily and consisted of 250 grams of bread and plain, watery beans or rice… They also gave us smoked meat, but it was so bad that, despite our hunger, we couldn't eat it… Under the pretext of searching us to find hidden money, gold, or foreign currency, they sadistically forced us to undress entirely… In some cases they even took away baby diapers… If anything was found on somebody, he was beaten….


Nico Pardo was one of the few who managed to escape from the Skopje detention center and after the war he described the Jews' despair in Monopol:


We were in a terrible mood. The youngsters tried to sing every so often, but the adults and the elderly people were in deep depression. We did not know what awaited us, but the dreadful treatment we received from the Bulgarians showed the value of the promises given us that we would only be taken to a Bulgarian work camp. Here and there youngsters whispered of the possibility of an uprising and a mass escape, but they never materialized. There was no prospect of it succeeding. The yard was surrounded by a wooden fence and behind that a barbed wire fence. At each of the four corners there was a sentry with a machine gun and other armed guards would patrol the yard. Also, the belief that the worst possible fate did not await us prevented such suicidal acts from taking place.


Three railroad transports took the Macedonian Jews from Monopol to Treblinka. The journey typically took six days, and during this time the Jews were locked in cattle or freight cars. Several Jews died during each transport, and the living had to endure the presence of corpses. On the morning of March 22, 1943, some 2,300 Macedonian Jews from Monopol were forced to board a train consisting of 40 cattle cars. Families journeyed together, and the transport included at least 134 small children no more than four years old, and at least 194 children between the ages of four and 10. The train arrived at Treblinka six days later on March 28 at 7 a.m. Four people died on this transport. The overwhelming majority of these Jews were from Skopje.


On March 25, German and Bulgarian soldiers loaded about 2,400 Macedonian Jews onto a train made up of freight cars. All the Jews from Štip, who numbered 551, were on this second transport, as were about 2,000 Jews from Skopje and Monastir. Sarfati was scheduled to board the third transport, and he watched the Jews board this second train:


Each wagon carried between 60 and 70 people with all their baggage. The people came out of the building carrying their belongings on their backs. Everyone was carrying things, from the oldest person to the youngest. With bowed heads, all approached the black train. In front of each wagon stood a German and a Bulgarian policeman checking off a list. It was impossible to sit down in the freight cars. As soon as the 'livestock' had been loaded into a car, it was locked and sealed. Only heads were visible through the small windows… Those of us in the building were not permitted to watch, and the police waved their machine guns toward our windows to keep us from watching. The train was ready and left about eleven o'clock. Hands were waving goodbye from the small wagon windows and all of us in the building were shedding tears.


The last train carried around 2,400 Jews, approximately 2,300 of whom were from Monastir. The Jews began boarding the freight cars at 6 a.m. on March 29 and by noon the train was full. The departure of this train for the killing center at Treblinka signaled the final destruction of the Monastir Jewish community.

Albanian parties want all children to study Albanian in their regions

Albanian political parties in Macedonia have requested uniformity in the study of Albanian language, Alfa television station reports.


In this way Albanian is set to become obligatory for all children in the regions where ethnic Albanians are a majority.


Earlier today the parties of the ethnic Albanians announced their opposition to the obligatory requirement education ministry requested that first graders in all schools in the country should study Macedonian.


Democratic Union for Integration, New Democracy and Democratic Party of Albanians, regardless of whether they are in power or in opposition, insist on making Albanian an official language, alongside Macedonian.

Greece responds to FYROM's impending takeover of the Presidency of the Council of Europe

In response to a journalist's question about the impending takeover of the Presidency of the Council of Europe, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Government's intention to use this institution to promote its position on the name issue, as evidenced by statements Foreign Minister Milososki, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mr. Gregory Delavekouras said on Monday that:


"On May 11, 2010, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will be invited to chair the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. This is an important responsibility, they take all Member States of the international body rotation in alphabetical order, for six months at a time (The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia undertakes under the letter T - the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - the English alphabet).


In exercising its institutional mandate, the President must support the important affairs administered by the Committee of Ministers. It must exercise its role as appropriate to the presidency of any international intergovernmental body, ie respect for international legitimacy, the institutional acquis and decisions of the organization, in cooperation with other institutions and in a spirit of consensus over the other member states. One example given by Greece in pursuit of the presidency of the OSCE in 2009.


Unfortunately, statements by the leadership of FYROM effortlessly clear that the intention of the Government of Macedonia is to exercise the role of abusing its presidency to promote its position on the name issue, as it did during its Presidency UN General Assembly. The purpose of the action is to cancel the contents of Resolution (95) 23 of the CoE Committee of Ministers which stipulates that "this country will be provisionally called Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" for all purposes within the Council of Europe .


In this way, the leadership of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia charged once the negotiating process within the United Nations and actively reject the efforts and initiatives taken by Greece to create a positive climate between the two countries to facilitate the conduct of negotiations under the auspices of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General. Greece is not going to follow this behavior.


In doing so, the Government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia demonstrates that it can have the confidence of the international community, and confirms the correctness of the unanimous decisions of NATO and the EU to abandon the country's accession process while remaining open to the pending name issue.


The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has updated the international bodies and other CoE member states of the Organization for these approaches. Throughout the course of the Bureau of Macedonia, we will take all necessary steps to ensure respect for the content of Resolution (95) 23 of the CoE Committee of Ministers.


Once again we reiterate the readiness of Greece to move directly to final settlement, with a name will be determined by geography and will be used for all, erga omnes. We expect the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to finally make the step that it deserves to reach a mutually acceptable solution within the framework of negotiations under UN auspices. Source; Government of Greece

Lots of Albanians, Roma people from FYROM emigrate to EU member states

Lots of citizens of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), mainly Albanians and Roma people, continue emigrating to EU member states, Greek Ethnos newspaper writes.


Since the lifting of the visa regime last October, thousands of FYROM citizens headed for Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland and Norway as many of them are searching for political asylum to stay permanently in the country. Despite the sharp reactions on behalf of the European Commission and several European governments, the emigration process continues.


The reason is that people are searching for better life and want to get away from the discrimination, the newspaper comments.

Council tells Macedonia to be 'pragmatic' on name

The head of the Council of Europe says Macedonia and Greece should take a more pragmatic approach to solving their long-standing name dispute.
Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland visited Skopje, Macedonia's capital, Monday. Macedonia takes over the chairmanship of the council's executive between May and November this year.


Jagland met Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki and said he hoped the name dispute would not overshadow the country's role as chairman.


Greece says its neighbor's use of the name Macedonia implies territorial claims on its own northern region of Macedonia. Athens has blocked Macedonia's NATO accession, citing the dispute, and is threatening to do the same with its bid to join the European Union.

Turkish diplomats hospitalized in Macedonia

Government and medical authorities in Macedonia say eight visiting Turkish diplomats have been treated in the hospital treatment for food poisoning.
Four of the diplomats remained in the hospital Monday. The others were released.


Private A1 television says the diplomats visited several restaurants, including a kebab place, in the Old Turkish bazaar in the capital, Skopje.


The diplomats arrived are in Macedonia at the invitation of the Foreign Ministry to speak at seminars at the country's Diplomatic Academy.

Macedonia, Albania initiate bilateral free imports of agricultural goods

Macedonia and Albania will import agricultural products from one another without duty, Macedonian Utrinski Vesnik reported. Protocol for liberalization in agriculture is expected to be ratified soon. The protocol is within the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and should enter into force on July 1 this year. Macedonian Economy Minister Fatmir Besimi yesterday met with his Albanian counterpart Drita Prifti. They have agreed to speed up the procedure for ratifying the Protocol.

Macedonia Military Reforms Stalled

Ever since Macedonia failed to join NATO in 2008 due to its “name” dispute with neighbouring Greece, a number of reforms to the Macedonian army have ground to a halt, local security analysts say.
They note that in some areas the country has even made steps backwards, including cutting money for the envisaged army modernization and for reaching the desired level of interoperability with NATO forces.


“The government should continue reforming the army, not only because of the recent criticism but also because of the goal of joining a modern defense system,” Lidija Georgieva, a security, defense and peace studies professor at Skopje University, told local daily Vreme.


Macedonia currently spends 1.7 per cent of its budget on its armed forces, while NATO's standards dictate that a country which applies for membership should spend at least 2.3 per cent for this purpose. In this year’s budget, the army was given some €23 million less than in 2009.


This was one of the main concerns expressed by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen during his January meeting with Macedonian PM Nikola Gruevski, the daily reports.


Despite the cuts Macedonia continues to maintain its course towards NATO, the dean at the Skopje Philosophy Faculty, Trajan Gocevski told Vreme.


“The main criticism relates to the level of prepareness of the units intended for international peacekeeping missions. This year we should have 600 soldiers ready for such missions and by 2013 we should scale that number up to 1200,” he said.


Skopje currently has some 250 soldiers deployed in the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan, more than many of the NATO member countries.


Macedonian Defense Minister Zoran Konjanovski, visiting the Macedonian Army contingent stationed in Afghanistan, said on Monday that Macedonia is a small country, but a serious contributor in the anti-terrorism coalition,


In 2008 Macedonia was denied entrance to NATO due to the Greek blockade over the unresolved bilateral “name” spat. NATO has reiterated that the country is welcome to join the alliance as soon as the row with Greece is resolved.

Government cuts participation fee for studying at state universities

The Government decided to substantially cut the participation for studying at state universities, setting the highest co-financing fee at EUR 400 from 1,200, Education Minister Nikola Todorov said Sunday at a press conference.


The decision meets the demand of the Parliament of Students of Skopje-based SS. Cyril & Methodius University.


The state enrollment fee is set at the amount of EUR 200 for all faculties, while the quota for dispersed studies at EUR 100.


The decision is in line with the Government's commitment to larger inclusion of the citizens of Macedonia in the higher education process, which should contribute to the overall development of the country, Todorov said.


In the 2010-11 academic year the five state university may admit over 26,000 freshmen.

Macedonian president extends condolences to Poland over plane crash

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov on Saturday sent his condolences to Poland over the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski in a plane crash, news from Skopje said.


"On behalf of Macedonia's citizens and myself, I extend my condolences to the Polish people, to the family of President Kaczynski and to the families of all those killed in the plane crash," Ivanov said.


Ivanov said Macedonia has felt the pain of losing a leader and statesman in this manner, saying that the Macedonians still nourish the memories of late President Boris Trajkovski and everything he did for his country.


Macedonian former President Boris Trajkovski died on February 26,2004, when his plane crashed in poor weather on landing in Bosnia, where he was to attend an economic conference.


"I am sure that the citizens of Poland will also nourish the memory of President Kaczynski," Ivanov said in his note of condolences.


Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski sent a letter to his Polish counterpart Donal Tusk, expressing his condolences over the plane crash.


Gruevski said in the letter that he was shocked and grieved to learn of the death of Lech Kaczysnki and his Polish state delegation in the plane crash.


"This is an irreplaceable loss, first and foremost for the families of deceased, but also for your country," Gruevski.


Also on Saturday, Macedonian government observed one-minute silence before its open session in honor of those killed in the plane crash.


A plane carrying the Polish president crashed in thick fog near the Smolensk airport in western Russia on Saturday, killing all 97 people on board.

Chinese tour operators, journalists visit Ohrid

Representatives of 15 Chinese tourist agencies and six media paid a visit Thursday to Ohrid within their tour across Macedonia.


Macedonia and Ohrid may attract Chinese tourists, so it is possible for the country's tourist destinations to be offered on China's market, the guests said.


- We are impressed by Macedonia's beauty, rich cultural heritage. We hope for new bridges of friendship, tourist cooperation to be opened in the future, said Christopher Millward, CEO of Beijing consulting firm Firebrands.


After returning to China, media representatives will present their impressions from the visit to Macedonia, while tourist agencies, depending on their plans, may include the country in their offers.


- The warm hospitality, rich cultural heritage and natural beauties will certainly attract many Chinese, Millward said, expressing hope for the results of this visit to be tangible in the near future.


China's citizens have shown interest in this part of the Balkans, in particular the older ones who long for new destinations, said the sales manager of 'Turkish Airways' in China.


This evening, the guests from China will meet their Balkan colleagues to discuss possibilities for cooperation in bringing more Chinese tourists to the region.

Pivo Fest Beer Fest 2010 in Prilep

The beer festival in Prilep this year will take place over four days:


Thursday 15th July through to Sunday 18th of July 2010.


The organisers said that they will be offering wide selection of beers, grill, music at different stages and entertainment. Ceca Raznatovic will be the star at the music stage.

Gay backlash over Macedonia's anti-discrimination law

Macedonia's new anti-discrimination law sparked controversy on Friday, as gay activists and the European Union criticised the bill for not including sexual orientation discrimination.


The new law, adopted by a slim majority of 62 deputies in the 120-seat parliament late Thursday, is not in line with European standards, a representative of the EU delegation in Skopje told AFP.


The bill which lists some 20 bases for discrimination but leaves sexual orientation out of that list makes Macedonia "the only country in the region that has a non-European anti-discrimination law," the official said.


Ahead of the vote deputies of the biggest opposition group, the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), walked out in protest because the amendments including sexual orientation were not added.


Both the EU and the opposition urged the Macedonian government in vain to delay the vote so the draft could be changed.


There are very few openly gay people in Macedonia as the society treats them with deep suspicion. Despite several attempt to organise a gay pride parade in the capital Skopje no more than a handful of people showed up last year.


Even gay organisations prefer to present themselves as associations for marginalised people.


Slavco Dimitrov, leader of a coalition for protection of marginalised groups' rights, said the law was sending "a wrong message to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) population as the government has been ignoring them."


"The government refuses to provide equal status to all citizens and instead of taking affirmative measures for the protection of human rights it has created a flagrant homophobic atmosphere in the process of adopting this law," Dimitrov told AFP.


According to the government the rights of gays and others discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation will still be protected by the law even if they are not explicitly mentioned.


"The law will protect all the citizens of this country against discrimination," ruling coalition deputy Silvana Boneva said.


Although "sexual orientation was not listed as a basis of discrimination it does not exclude such discrimination," she insisted.


Macedonia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2005, but has yet to open accession talks.

Foreign Ministry summons Greek Ambassador to Macedonia

Macedonian Foreign Ministry has called in Greek Ambassador Alexandra Papadopoulou for talks on Monday due to anti-Macedonian chants at the military parade in Athens.


At the meeting with Deputy Minister Zoran Petrov, she will be presented with a protest note and formal apology will be asked, Foreign Ministry confirmed for Macedonian media.


Government spokesperson Martin Martinovski at today’s press conference said that manifestation of hate speech does not contribute in building good-neighbourly relations.


While the soldiers were marching they had numerous racist chants, one of them being: "They are Skopians, they are Albanians, we will make new clothes out of their skins”.

Anti-Greek protests in Skopje

About 50 members of Macedonian non-governmental organizations protested in front of the Greek embassy in Skopje.


The protest was organized in response to a parade held recently in Athens at which Greek soldiers were chanting anti-Macedonian and ant-Albanian slogans.


One of the chants said that they “would make clothes out of the skin of Macedonians and Albanians."


The protest in Skopje, entitled “Stop Greek Fascism,” was secured by a large number of police officers and ended without incident.


The protesters said that Macedonia would never abandon its constitutional name.


The NGO members carried maps of Great Macedonia, stretching to the Aegean Sea, sang patriotic songs, and gave embassy officials a letter of protest and a demand for an apology from Greece.


The Macedonian Foreign Ministry also delivered a letter of protest to the Greek ambassador in Macedonia, who called the soldiers’ chanting an “isolated incident.”

Macedonia under the pressure of its neighbours

Ever since its proclamation of independence, Macedonia has experienced challenges from its neighbours in regard to its statehood, national identity and church. Had it not been for the EU, the USA and NATO, the country would have succumbed to internal conflict and probably also to outside aggression. But Macedonia has managed to survive despite its domestic problems, and become a candidate for membership of the European Union and NATO. These alliances serve also as guarantors of its continued existence and of the integration of its divided society.


Serbia recognised Macedonia in 1996 under the name of Republic of Macedonia, albeit with a demand for some minor border corrections. But the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) refuses to accept the independence of the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MPC) proclaimed in 1967. The issue of autocephaly of the MPC is closely linked to that of Macedonian statehood, i.e. with recognition of the Macedonian state.


The fact that Serbia does not have clearly demarcated borders with its neighbours will pose a serious obstacle to its closer integration into the European Union. As an integral aspect of regional cooperation, this is expected to become a major political problem in the region. This was stressed in the 2009 European Commission’s report for Serbia, which noted that Serbia has not established its borders with either Croatia or Bosnia-Herzegovina or Montenegro.






Serbia reacted strongly against the signing of a border agreement between Macedonia and Kosovo. Negotiations on such an agreement between Montenegro and Kosovo are due to begin soon. Since Serbia does not recognise Kosovo’s independence, fixing its borders with the states that have recognised Kosovo is bound to become a lengthy and consuming problem.






Taking advantage of Macedonia’s complex international position, Belgrade has been using Kosovo as a new instrument of blackmail. Aware of the complicated relations that exist between ethnic Macedonians and Albanians in Macedonia, Belgrade thought that Macedonia would not hurry to recognise Kosovo. But international circumstances and Macedonia’s chance to move faster towards Europe prevailed also in the case of its approach to Kosovo’s independence, and recognition of the latter undoubtedly contributed to the stability of this part of the Balkans.






Relations between ethnic Macedonians and Albanians proved to be more important than the earlier sharing of positions with Serbia towards the Albanian question. Following the Ohrid Agreement (2001), Macedonia gradually came to accept the fact that the Albanians are a crucial factor of its internal stability.










Macedonia recognises Kosovo’s independence






Macedonia recognised Kosovo’s independence at the same time as Montenegro (2008), and Serbia took this as a sign of hostility on the part of the two countries. Serbia promptly applied the Kosovo Action Plan, the details of which are revealed only in concrete situations. Belgrade’s first measure was to withdraw ambassadors from neighbouring countries, and to expel the Macedonian and Montenegrin ambassadors.






Macedonia and Montenegro justified their decision to recognise Kosovo in the following manner: ‘In view of the fact that the Kosovo institutions have bound themselves to fully implement the principles and rules envisaged by the UN general secretary’s special representative for the solution of Kosovo’s status, the two countries support the building of democratic institutions in Kosovo designed to establish a multinational society that would guarantee the right of all ethnic communities to their cultural, confessional and linguistic identity.’ (1)






Belgrade’s reaction elicited some serious diplomatic pressure on the part of the USA. The American secretary of defence, Robert Gates, sent the message that ‘Washington would greatly appreciate Macedonia’s prompt recognition of Kosovo.






Macedonia’s two most important ethnic Albanian parties, the Albanian Democratic Party led by Menduh Thaci and Ali Ahmeti’s Democratic Integrative Union played a key role in ensuring Macedonia’s speedy recognition of Kosovo. This also contributed to the country’s stability. The two parties’ document states among other things: ‘The status of Kosovo has for a long time been generating important political problems in the region, instability and armed confrontations ... Recognition of Kosovo is a realistic solution to the regional crisis.’ Menduh Thaci explained the Albanian parties’ initiative as follows: ‘Kosovo’s independence is not only an Albanian project but also one pressed for by USA, EU and NATO.’ (3)






Macedonian President Ivanov’s inauguration










The inauguration of the Macedonian president, Gjordje Ivanov, elicited also blackmail on the part of Serbia and Greece. The inauguration was witnessed by Albanian president Bamir Topi, Montenegrin president Filip Vujanovic, Croatian president Stipe Mesic, and Serbian president Boris Tadic. The Kosovo president, Fatmir Seidiu, did not come as a result of Serbian pressure, while the Bulgarian and Greek presidents, Georgi Pervanov and Karolos Papoulias respectively, did not turn up even though they were invited.






Tadic stressed in his congratulatory address: ‘I congratulate you most sincerely on winning the presidential election. I am sure we shall work on strengthening neighbourly and friendly relations for the benefit of the citizens of Serbia and Macedonia.’ (4) Tadic stressed that in addition to the recognition of Kosovo, the two countries faced also the unresolved church question.






The Macedonian media were critical of Ivanov’s decision not to invite the Kosovo to the inauguration, arguing that ‘the regulation of inter-ethnic relations in the country should not be replaced by one-off favours to someone’s Serbian friends, be they Tadic or Ðelic...’. (5)






Macedonia between Kosovo and Serbia






The omission of an invitation led to an offer to Kosovo president Seidiu. to be the first foreign statesman to visit Skopje after Ivanov’s inauguration. Sejdiu declined, however, because the Macedonian president was not going to receive him with due protocol. This was another concession to Belgrade. According to Kosovo analysts, President Seidiu was right not to go, and this move did not upset relations between the two countries.






The Kosovo analyst Milazim Krasniqi says: ‘Macedonia is a country which, like Kosovo, is beset with many problems. Thus, for example, they [in Macedonia] have a great problem with neighbouring Greece, because they cannot agree on the name. And until a few months ago they had difficult relations with Serbia because of recognition of Kosovo - they don’t need additional complications in regard to Kosovo.’ (6)






Krasniqi stressed also that ‘both Kosovo and Macedonia have declared themselves in favour of regional and European integration’. ‘I therefore think that this is an isolated case. I think that the Macedonian president and government should carefully consider the message for the sake of continued good relations which should, however, conform to some standards of mutual respect.’ (7)






Macedonia’s view on Kosovo independence before the International Court of Justice (ICJ)






Thanks to pressure from Belgrade, Macedonia decided not to state its view on the legality of Kosovo’s proclamation of independence or submit any documents in this regard. The decision to remain neutral was made after the Serbian media criticised it for not supporting Serbia before the ICJ.






Relations between the Serbian and Macedonian Orthodox Churches






The Macedonian Orthodox Church - the Archbishopric of Ohrid (MPC - OA) or simply MPC - is the official Orthodox church in the Republic of Macedonia, but remains as yet unrecognised by its peers. The MPC proclaimed its independence from the SPC in Ohrid in 1967. The conflict with the SPC dates from that time, and the latter’s non-recognition is in essence non-recognition of Macedonian statehood. The Ecumenical Patriarch did not recognise the Macedonian church because it bears the Macedonian name, and the same is true of the Greek and other churches. The Macedonian church sees itself as the heir to the archbishopric of Ohrid. The SPC, on the other hand, recognises only the newly created Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric headed by Jovan Vraniškovski.






In 2003 the SPC offered to the MPC autonomous status within the Serbian church, which would mean that the congregation and the clergy of the Macedonian church would be obliged to mention in every liturgy the name of the Serbian patriarch. The only bishop who accepted this was Vraniškovski.






The Greeks, on the other hand, reject the Macedonian nation and use of the Macedonian name for the state, because they see the name as belonging to their alleged historic territory (associated with Alexander of Macedonia). This is why Greece (and the EU too) continue to identify Macedonia as BJRM/FYROM - the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. A more recent suggestion intended to satisfy both sides is Northern Macedonia or Slav Macedonia.






The new Serbian patriarch Irinej recalled this problem in his first declaration: ‘We have a common history and culture, and the language is mutually comprehensible. What has been happening up to now is not normal. We have done everything to overcome this problem, but they did not understand this well enough, and now they do. ‘ He also said: ‘We now face a new problem because there exists now a new official church [the Ohrid Archbishopric] which all nations recognise, and it will require much effort on their part too for this problem to be mutually resolved. Our door is open, and my desire is that we find a solution. We shall do all we can, I as the patriarch and the church as a whole, to solve the problem.’ (8)






Secret negotiations were also conducted between the two churches during 2009. This was made public by the bishop of Backa, Irinej. He told the Skopje media that ‘there were contacts and talks, but without concrete results’ (9), adding that there is a desire in both the SPC and the MPC for dialogue and for overcoming the current status quo situation. Sources in the MPC say that the Serbian side softened its positions when it saw that the project with Jovan Vraniškovski had failed.






The Macedonian church seeks autocephaly, but the SPC insists on ‘autonomy’ which falls short of independence. The MCP knows full well that the path to strengthening its position goes through the Belgrade church, but it is difficult to expect that the Serbian church, which enjoys excellent relations with the Greek church, will grant autocephaly to the MPC in the situation of unresolved conflict between Skopje and Athens over Macedonia’s name.






At its recent synod the MPC changed its name to Macedonian Orthodox Church - the Archbishopric of Ohrid (MPC-OA). According to a professor of theology at the university of Skopje, Dimitar Belcovski, who worked on changing the MPC constitution, the proposal for extending the name had been submitted to the synod back in 2005.






Serbia’s reaction to Macedonia’s establishment of diplomatic relations with Kosovo






Relations between Serbia and Macedonia have been strained ever since Macedonia’s recognition of Kosovo. President Tadic says that in principle ‘Serbia remains attached to regional cooperation, and supports Macedonia in regard to EU membership’. ‘We are moving forward together also in regard to the European states’ decision to abolish the visa, which is of great importance for our citizens.’ (10) Serbia believes that the Western Balkans should join the EU as a ‘package’. Hence this declaration and also Serbia’s behaviour towards its neighbours confirm its strategy of obstructing a more rapid integration into the EU of, in particular, Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina.






Serbia insists that the status of Kosovo is the point on which the two countries’ policies diverge; but, as Tadic says, the imminent opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legality of independence could bring about changes in this field too. ‘Serbia will never recognise the independence of Kosovo. After the ICJ judgement, Serbia will be ready to initiate a new dialogue aimed at finding a compromise solution.’ (11)






The Serbian foreign minister, Vuk Jeremic, said on the occasion of his meeting with the Greek foreign minister, Dimitris Droutsas, that Athens could count on ‘Belgrade’s full political, moral and any other support in solving the question of Macedonia’s name’. (12) ‘Greece has proved to be a sincere friend and a moving force in the process of inclusion of the whole Western Balkans into the EU, and in that context we fully understand - and will continue to extend our full support to - the efforts of the Greek government to solve all the issues important for the Western Balkans, including also the sensitive issue of the name of the state the capital of which is Skopje’, said Jeremic. (13)






Macedonia opened its embassy in Prishtina on 15 March 2010 in a practical confirmation of the establishment of diplomatic ties. Macedonia’s foreign minister, Antonio Milošoski, stated on that occasion: ‘Macedonia and Kosovo favour peace in the region, friendship and economic cooperation. The opening of the embassy represents for us a solemn moment and a new impetus in our inter-state relations.’ He also said that his country supported Kosovo’s territorial integrity and would help Kosovo in the process of visa liberalisation. (14)






Fixing the frontiers










Border agreement between the former Yugoslav republics is one of the conditions of their advance towards the EU. Defining the frontier is a bilateral problem that has to be solved before entering the EU. The commissioner for EU enlargement, Štefan Füle, says that ‘each state that seeks to join the EU must resolve its bilateral problems in parallel with the preparations for European integration’. (15)






The director of the Centre for Regionalism, Aleksandar Popov, stresses the problem. ‘Macedonia has already defined its border with Kosovo, and when Montenegro too has done this, we [in Serbia] will face a double problem. Demarcation will be one of the contested questions on Serbia’s road to the EU.’ (16) ‘If Serbia were forced to recognise Kosovo, it would also have to fix its border with it; but given what has been written into the [Serbian] constitution and the official state policy, this will take a long time’, says Popov. (17)






The Macedonian and Kosovan parliaments have recently ratified an agreement on the inter-state border, which caused a strong reaction from Serbian politicians. The Macedonian government’s spokesman, Martin Martinovski, believes that ‘the frontier question between Macedonia and Serbia was solved in 2001', and that the agreement with Kosovo posed no problems. Montenegro too holds the view that ‘the alleged border problem can be politicised, but there is no essential conflict in international law’. (18)






Vuk Jeremic has said that Macedonia’s agreement with Kosovo on the border was ‘a blow against Belgrade-Skopje relations’, which was ‘bound to have consequences’; that the Macedonian decision was ‘deplorable’; and that it made no sense to negotiate about Serbia’s borders with anyone but the Serbian government. (19)






Summary






Serbia should change its attitude to the unresolved regional problems in order to facilitate its own advance towards the EU. Open frontier issues create a space for manipulation and blackmail of neighbours whenever it suits Belgrade.






Open border issues allow Serbian conservative circles to question the new realities in this part of Europe, and to treat them as historically contingent. This is of particular importance bearing in mind the wars of the 1990s, which left many problems behind, especially those springing from interpretation of the wars and the associated responsibility for them.






Macedonia avoided war, but has been paying a price for years because of the pressure imposed on it by its neighbours. One way of creating new relations in the region is to put an end to border disputes and territorial claims.

Macedonian state institutions begin work on Saturdays

Some of Macedonia's state institutions have begun to spend part of their weekend working, news from Skopje reported on Saturday, Xinhua informs. The government has decided that service departments from the ministries of agriculture, interior affairs, justice, public revenue, land registry and social affairs work on the first Saturday of each month.


The offices of these departments will be open from 8 o'clock in the morning, and close at 4:30 in the afternoon. "The move aims to meet the needs of working people, who thus far have been forced to take a day off in order to obtain some documents," Labor Minister Xhelal Bajrami said.

US Department of State Magazine - Ancient Macedonia builds modern democracy

Macedonia's Pearl of the Balkans. US recognized Macedonia under its constitutional and ONLY name as Republic of Macedonia

The April issue of the State Magazine, by US Department of State

Macedonia Charges Captain, Inspector over Ohrid Lake Tragedy

Macedonian prosecutors have charged suspects over the sinking of the Ilinden boat in the Ohrid Lake, which killed 15 Bulgarian tourists in September 2009.


The Prosecutor’s Office in the town of Ohrid has charged the captain of the antiquated tourist boat, Sotir Filevski, and Branko Baic, representative of the Croation company Lloyd, who inspected the vessel and issued a technical permit for its operation.


In addition to the expected charges against the boat captain Filevski, the Ohrid prosecutors have decided to charge the respective safety inspector after reviewing volumes with documentation and carrying out several technical experiments.


Filevski and Baic have been charged with “severe crimes against safety of persons and transport equipment.”


Baic, who is a Croatian citizen, is going to be notified about the charges against him through the justice ministries of Macedonia and Croatia.


A total of 15 Bulgarian tourists drowned and 40 more were injured as the Ilinden boat sunk in the Ohrid Lake in September 2009. The Bulgarians, mostly retirees, were on an excursion in Macedonia whose organizers were later revealed to have violated a number of legal procedures in Bulgaria.


The news about the charges of those suspected responsible for the Ohrid Lake tragedy comes hours after the Bulgarian Diaspora Minister Bozhidar Dimitrov announced the three local Ohrid men who rescued a number of Bulgarian tourists from drowning were granted Bulgarian citizenship.

Bulgaria Wants Guarantees over Macedonia's New Name

Bulgaria’s President Georgi Parvanov has declared that the adoption of a new name by FYROM must entail guarantees against territorial claims.


Parvanov met Friday with the Plovdiv Mayor Slavcho Atanasov and Petko Atanasov, leader of the newly set up political party VMRO-NIE, to discuss Bulgaria’s position on the Greece-Macedonia name dispute after Greece recently suggested that it approved “Northern Macedonia” as the new name for FYROM.


Petko Atanasov has demanded from the Bulgarian President to define clearly the position of the Bulgarian state with respect to the new name of Macedonia, and to clarify the conditions under which Bulgaria will support Macedonia for its accession to NATO and the EU.


The VMRO-NIE leader has stressed that the Macedonian media and institutions should give up using hate language with respect to Bulgaria, and should stop “falsifying Bulgaria’s history.”


Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov has declared that Bulgaria will welcome the settlement of the 20-year dispute between Greece and FYROM over the name of the latter.


However, he has stated explicitly that the issue has to be settled through a mechanism that did not allow Macedonia to raise subsequent claims for the Bulgarian state.


Parvanov made it clear that he has notified the Greek PM George Papandreou and the Macedonian President George Ivanov about the Bulgarian position that the new name of Macedonia, which is connected with a geographical region, needs to include explicit guarantees for the Bulgarian state.


Both the President and the VMRO-NIE party have expressed their position against the rise of any


radical nationalist movements in Bulgaria.


The Bulgarian party VMRO-BND is considered a descendant of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Organization that fought for the liberation of the regions of Macedonia and Thrace from the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. The VMRO-NIE party was set up in March after a large number of the VMRO-BND members left it, and went ahead for the new structure.


The cause of the rift was a dispute VMRO-BND party congress in October when the Plovdiv Mayor Slavcho Atanasov was beaten for the leadership post by the incumbent Krasimir Karakachanov.


Slavcho Atanasov is believed to become the new leader of the VMRO-NIE party.

Barack Obama did not invite Macedonia to Prague

U.S. President Barack Obama did not invite Macedonia together with 11 more European countries that significantly contribute to NATO missions to attend the official dinner within the U.S.–Russian summit in Prague, Macedonian Vreme daily writes.


The newspaper comments that Macedonia is fourth in terms of the number of troops in Afghanistan per capita, but that is not enough for it to receive an invitation from the U.S. administration, which is the host of the event. Only NATO members from Central and Eastern Europe were invited, the newspaper says.


The heads of state or government of the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Croatia were invited to Prague.

Barely noticed in Britain, Greece is moving towards a bail-out

Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the EU, Greece is crumpling. The markets have now decided that a bail-out is more or less inevitable. Bad news for freedom, bad news for the EU and, of course, bad news for Greece. Unable to price itself into the markets, Greece will be condemned to a generation of deflation and poverty. A handful of contractors and oligarchs will grow fat on Brussels subsidies, while thousands of their countrymen are pushed into emigration.


It may not be Britain’s problem this time. But, as the EU moves inexorably towards establishing a European Debt Agency and a European Monetary Fund, it soon will be. It is becoming clearer by the day that bailing out the banks was a mistake. So is bailing out whole countries.


Here’s a thought, though. Greece is as opposed as ever to its northern neighbour being called Macedonia. Why not drop that objection for a fee? Just a suggestion.

3 tons of chicken meat seized at Novo Selo border checkpoint

Customs officers at Novo Selo border checkpoint at the Macedonian – Bulgarian border seized more than 3 tons of chicken meat, Macedonian Utrinski Vesnik and Dnevnik dailies report.
The meat was hidden in a mini-bus driven by a Bulgarian national. The smuggled meat was seized a couple of days ago, when the vehicle tried to cross the border from Macedonia.


The driver said that the mini-bus is empty and showed customs documents to prove it. However, a thorough check-up revealed that the vehicle is divided into two parts, as the bigger one was right behind the driver’s cabin. The driver said that this section of the vehicle is not used as its door is broken and cannot be open.


“In the cabin there was a steel rope and customs officers decided that it is used to open the blocked door. They managed to open the door and found 145 boxes each containing 12 kilos of chicken meat and 172 packages of 7.5 kilos each,” Macedonian customs informed.
According to the customs authorities, the meat comes from Brazil and has been loaded in the Macedonian town of Strumica.


The driver of the vehicle, a Bulgarian national, will be imposed a sanction as provided under the law.

Macedonian officials meet again on constitutional amendments

Leaders of the main political parties gathered on Thursday (April 8th) for another meeting about constitutional amendments. Representatives of the governing and opposition parties presented their views but did not discuss them, opting instead to have expert groups analyse the proposals. If the groups strike an agreement, the leaders will meet again by the end of the month. The draft amendments proposed by the ruling VMRO-DPMNE relate mainly to judicial reform.

Macedonian Railways director punishes trade union chairman

The chairman of the trade union in Macedonian Railways Risto Pejovski has been suspended from his post at the order of the company’s director Blagoja Krstevski, Macedonian Dnevnik daily writes.


Pejovski was sacked for infringing on the authority of Macedonian Railways. The newspaper says he was the first one to warn that the trains in Macedonia are not safe and there is a risk of a train accident, something that happened a little bit later. Krstevski, the daily writes, was not punished for the three accidents in the past month.

Conflicts to raise if no early elections are called, says DPA leader

Early elections should be called in Macedonia after June, said leader of the Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA) Menduh Thaci, Macedonian Vecer daily reports.
“There will be either conflict or early elections. DPA wants early elections, which to be called in a peaceful and democratic manner, but if this situation continues, there will be conflicts,” Thaci said. In his words, much is said about the disagreements between the Macedonians and Albanians, but in fact there are also disagreements among the Macedonians themselves.

“Closing the perspective for membership in the EU and NATO eliminated the chance for Macedonia’s existence. Early elections is the best decision at the moment,” Menduh Thaci remarked.

Deputy chairperson of the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) Teuta Arifi, on the other hand, said that party’s leader, Ali Ahmeti, is the only person in Macedonia who knows how to start and end up a war.

Meetings of leaders finishes without agreement

The meeting between the leaders of the biggest parties in Macedonia has finished without an agreement on the constitutional amendments VMRO-DPMNE suggests, Macedonian Forum reports.

Another meeting is expected at the end of April. The governing VMRO-DPMNE and oppositional Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) regard as unacceptable the proposals of the two Albanian parties – governing Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) and oppositional New Democracy – that culture and identification documents, as well as the national budget act should be adopted with a Badinter majority. DUI leader Ali Ahmeti suggested establishing working groups to discuss all proposals. The other leaders agreed with Ahmeti’s suggestion.

Macedonia passes rights law but ignores calls to protect gays from discrimination

Macedonia has approved a new rights law but ignored appeals from the EU and rights groups to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation

A total 62 conservative lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament voted Thursday for the anti-discrimination law. The opposition walked out in protest demanding that protection be extended to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people.

Shortly before the vote, the European Union mission head in Macedonia, Erwan Fouere, urged the conservatives to reconsider.

Fouere said the law "must ... really promote tolerance and put in effect the fight against discrimination of all parties."

Homosexuality is legal in Macedonia, but human rights groups say gays often face public humiliation, job discrimination and police harassment.

Greece accepts Macedonian name proposal

Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas stated today in an interview with Greek Sky TV that the name of "Republic of North Macedonia" would be acceptable to Athens in regards to its name dispute with Skopje. Droutsas said that "UN mediator Matthew Nimetz presented the idea of the name 'Republic of North Macedonia.' 'The Greek position on the name issue is known; it wants a composite name with a geographic qualifier that is used in relations with all other states, so it is obvious that this idea meets Greek expectations.'" Athens insists that Macedonia's constitutional name of the "Republic of Macedonia" implies territorial aspirations towards its own northern province of the same name. NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Security, Cooperation, and Partnership Robert Simmons stated that Macedonia will be invited to join NATO as soon as the "name" issue is resolved.

Turkish FM Davutoglu pays two-day visit to Macedonia

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu pays March 25-26 a visit to Macedonia, upon an invitation by Macedonian counterpart Antonio Milososki.

In addition to talks with his host, Davutoglu is also scheduled to meet President Gjorge Ivanov, Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

Moreover, Davutoglu will meet representatives of the Parliament's Macedonia-Turkey Friendship Group.

Meetings will focus on series of significant issues regarding the enhancement of bilateral cooperation, countries' Euro-integration processes, as well as current regional developments.

The high guest will attend the formal opening of Turkey's Honorary Consulate in Ohrid, visit the memorial room of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Bitola, and the Sarena Dzamija (Painted Mosque) in Tetovo.

Davutoglu will also give a lecture on "Turkey's Foreign Policy and Balkans" at Skopje Faculty of Law and promote the Centre for Cultural Cooperation 'Yunus Emre', located at the Skopje-based Turkish Embassy.

Alexander the Great to Sing in the Centre of Macedonia’s Capital

The planned monument of Alexander the Great in the centre of Skopje will be accompanied by music, as well as light, sound and water effects, mayor of the Skopje municipality Centar, Vladimir Todorovic, announced recently.

The monument of Alexander the Great – the thorny figure in the side of Greek-Macedonian relations, will be created and installed in the centre of Skopje by the end of next year as part of the grandiose Skopje 2014 project, which envisions the construction and renovation of dozens of monuments and buildings in the capital’s downtown area, with the aim of enhancing its appeal and administrative functionality.

The Alexander the Great statue, together with the statues of eight lions, costs 4.5 million euro and the fountain – 3 million euro, Todorovic explained, cited by the Utrinski Vesnik newspaper. The publication commented that if the salaries of the commission members who selected the monument’s maker and her fees are included, its cost would reach 10 million euro.

This, according to the publication, automatically disproves previous reports that 10 million euro will be used for the construction not only of the Alexander the Great monument, but those of four lions, the horse-riding statues of nineteenth-century revolutionary figures Gotse Delchev and Dame Gruev and three more statues.

“Whether the monument is too expensive is a relative thing. I can only assure you that it will be very beautiful, which you will see at the end of next year when we expect it to be completed,” Todorovic said, cited by the publication.

“According to our recent information, more than half of it has already been moulded. The fountain, on the other hand, will be produced for nine months. There are already preparations on the ground for the construction activities. The fountain will have a beautiful marble massive staircase and a mini promenade around the pillar of the monument,” Todorovic added.


Although Skopje Mayor Koce Trajanovski claimed the Skopje 2014 project will cost 80 million euro – which will come from several annual state budgets, the municipal budgets of Skopje and Centar and private investors, the initiative has sparked debate between the government and the opposition Social Democrats, who find the project excessive and claim it will cost 200 million euro. Even though it is well received by most of the public, several NGOs allied with the opposition have attempted public protests, arguing the funds would be better spent on fighting poverty.

Financial minister criticized the opposition

The opposition should not show pusillanimity after the date shows Macedonia overcame recession, said Macedonian deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finances Zorna Stavreski, MacedonianUntrinski vesnik newspaper writes. Stavreski said that if the opposition is constructive it will greet the publication of the data of the state statistical institute.
In his words after the data showed respectively good economic results, the opposition should be constructive and greet this in the interest of the citizens.