{"id":59627,"date":"2023-09-08T11:40:13","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T09:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/?p=59627"},"modified":"2023-09-08T11:40:25","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T09:40:25","slug":"north-macedonia-celebrates-its-32nd-independence-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/north-macedonia-celebrates-its-32nd-independence-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"North Macedonia celebrates its 32nd independence anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>North Macedonia is celebrating its 32<sup>nd<\/sup> independence anniversary, marking the nation\u2019s break from former Yugoslavia. The United States has commended Skopje\u2019s significant strides towards ensuring prosperity for its citizens.<\/p>\n<p>North Macedonia\u2019s journey to independence began with a referendum held on September 8, 1991. In this historic vote, over 95% of the electorate declared their desire for an independent and sovereign state.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to note that the referendum was boycotted by the Albanian population in North Macedonia, who were advocating for equal representation in the new state. They believed that North Macedonia was being shaped as a monoethnic entity that didn\u2019t reflect its multicultural character.<\/p>\n<p>The refusal to address their concerns led to an armed conflict in 2001. This conflict finally came to an end with the signing of the Ohrid Agreement. Subsequently, North Macedonia amended its Constitution to advance the rights of its Albanian minority.<\/p>\n<p>North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski, in his Independence Day message, shifted the focus to recent developments, affairs, and power abuses. He argued that these issues \u201ceroded trust in institutions, devalued the state, and disappointed those who had fought for a democratic state serving its citizens\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>President Pendarovski stated, \u201cThe consequences of these abuses are felt most keenly by students in education, the sick in healthcare, the impoverished, and the youth. Solidarity and empathy have increasingly given way to selfishness and apathy. It\u2019s time to demonstrate our practical capabilities, not just through words, and address the serious challenges we face during this lengthy transition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Prime Minister Dimitar Kova\u010devski spoke in his message about the country\u2019s European integration aspirations. He expressed that \u201cthe dreams of those who laid the foundations for independence, as well as those of future generations, would be realized through the completion of North Macedonia\u2019s European integration\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Kova\u010devski stated, \u201cThrough rational and courageous decisions, our country achieved independence peacefully while maintaining unity. We\u2019ve joined the United Nations, overcome armed conflict, become a NATO member, and initiated negotiations with the European Union. European integration for us means higher incomes, more job opportunities, improved infrastructure, and stronger support for local businesses. Our citizens want to live in a modern country that is part of the European Union.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As North Macedonia commemorates its 32<sup>nd<\/sup> year of independence, its leaders have received congratulatory messages from world leaders.<\/p>\n<p>US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his message, underscored the United States\u2019 support for deepening partnership relations, fostering prosperity, and facilitating North Macedonia\u2019s integration into the EU while promoting the rule of law.<\/p>\n<p>Blinken stated, \u201cThe United States supports North Macedonia\u2019s ongoing reforms for European integration and strengthening relations with its European neighbors. North Macedonia has made significant progress in ensuring the well-being of all its citizens while facing global challenges. We stand with you in your efforts to uphold the rule of law and look forward to further strengthening our partnership in the years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, criticism of recent developments in North Macedonia has come from the leader of the Macedonian opposition, Hristijan Mickoski. He argued that corrupt practices within the current government were dashing citizens\u2019 hopes of revival.<\/p>\n<p>Mickoski stated, \u201cThe dreams of the people have slowly dimmed over the years, particularly now as the same generation experiences the darkest years of independence \u2013 years marked by unaccountable crime, rampant corruption, and a government that prioritizes personal interests over the welfare of ordinary citizens. Tragedies have become a daily occurrence; medicines are scarce, justice is elusive, but most importantly, citizens are leaving their homeland due to failures.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 32<sup>nd<\/sup> anniversary of independence coincides with a deep political crisis in North Macedonia stemming from the constitutional changes necessary for the nation\u2019s integration into the European Union.<\/p>\n<p>These changes are crucial for implementing the agreement with Bulgaria, based on a French proposal to acknowledge the Bulgarian minority in North Macedonia\u2019s constitution as a state-forming community.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, North Macedonia signed an agreement with Greece to change its name from \u201cMacedonia\u201d to \u201cNorth Macedonia\u201d, a prerequisite for NATO membership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>North Macedonia is celebrating its 32nd independence anniversary, marking the nation\u2019s break from former Yugoslavia. The United States has commended Skopje\u2019s significant strides towards ensuring prosperity for its citizens. North Macedonia\u2019s journey to independence began with a referendum held on September 8, 1991. In this historic vote, over 95% of the electorate declared their desire [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":27099,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[164],"tags":[4132,645,243,151,298,490],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>North Macedonia celebrates its 32nd independence anniversary - Euronews Albania<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/north-macedonia-celebrates-its-32nd-independence-anniversary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"North Macedonia celebrates its 32nd independence anniversary - Euronews Albania\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"North Macedonia is celebrating its 32nd independence anniversary, marking the nation\u2019s break from former Yugoslavia. 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