Deemed as the contract for the coexistence of Albanians and Macedonians in North Macedonia, the Ohrid Agreement was signed precisely 20 years ago.
After more than 2 months of negotiations, it was signed on August 13th 2021 by Albanian and Macedonian representatives, bringing an end to the conflict between the National Liberating Army and Macedonian armed forces.
The ones that signed the document of Ohrid were Ljubco Georgievski and Branko Cervenkovski from the Macedonian side and Arben Xhaferi and Imer Imeri from the Albanian side. In addition, the pact was also signed by the state leader, Boris Trajkovski and the European and American mediators, Havier Solana, Francois Leotard and James Pardew.
The Ohrid Agreement revolved around 10 main points, starting from the complete ceasefire of the armed conflict, the decentralization of power as well as the promotion of harmonious progress within the whole of society, by respecting the ethnic identity of all citizens of North Macedonia.
However, 20 years after this important document was signed, there are still debates regarding the complete implementation of the points foreseen by the Ohrid Agreement. Recently, Albanian language became an official language in North Macedonia.
This decision foresees the complete use of Albanian language, be it in the written and spoken form, including in government, parliament, judicial bodies, public administration etc.
However, there are critics that claim that this is also not being implemented correctly throughout North Macedonia.
When it comes to their political rights, Albanians in North Macedonia have been able to participate in Parliament, but without holding any leadership roles in the Macedonian government.
As a result of the implementation of the framework of the Ohrid Agreement, more than 130 laws and legal amendments have been executed.
Of them, 59 are laws on non-discrimination and equal representation, as well as 40 laws in the field of identity, culture, education and power decentralization.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
