Wednesday, August 2nd 2017
Address by the president of the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia on the occasion of 2 August, the Day of the Republic
Ladies and gentleman,
Distinguished representatives of the Government,
Ministry of Defense,
Distinguished colleagues of the actual and past Parliament composition
Excellencies,
Representatives of the religious community,
Representatives of the Union of fighters
Distinguished citizens,
Today, we are here in Meckin Kamen, to pay respect to the heroes of Ilinden, who sacrificed their lives and thus embedded themselves in the present we are all living in. Let us bow in front of the authors of the Krusevo Manifesto, a document written one hundred and fourteen years ago, but still actual even today. Allow me to quote one part of it:
"Come along Muslim brothers; let us go against yours and ours enemies! Come under the flag of the "Autonomous Macedonia" Macedonia is a common mother of ours and she asks for help. Come and let's brake the slavery chains, let us save ourselves from pain and suffering. Our dear neighbors, like Turks, Albanians, come and join us brothers, let's merge our souls and hearts and save them, so our children and their children can live in peace, to work calmly and have prosperity…"
This way the leaders of the Ilinden uprising, Nikola Karev, Goce Delcev, Dame Gruev, Pitu Guli and other known and unknown heroes showed that they had highly developed civilization values and principles of togetherness, tolerance and respect of the human rights and liberties, no matter the faith, ethnicity, gender or social status. I think that all of us that live today in this common state of ours should be proud that more than one century ago, our ancestors were talking and fighting for freedom, respecting of human rights, for coexistence and tolerance, for multicultural and multiethnic society.
Respected friends,
Someone would say, history does not make living. That is true but, let us not forget that history somehow determines the presence too and we as individuals are historically determined. Precisely that historical determination based on civilization values and principles of the first Ilinden insurgents was a motivation and I would say a covenant of the Macedonians, the Albanians, Turks, Vlachs, Serbs, the Roma, Bosnjaks and a lot of others in 1941 together again with an arm in their hands struggled and fought and won their freedom, but also for a victory over the biggest evil of the twentieth century, the fascism. I want to emphasize the fact that the spirit of the Krusevo Manifesto pervades through the entire National liberation struggle and materializes also at our second Ilinden, i.e. the AANLM SINCE 1944. Documents where the general and special human rights and liberties are clearly defined; they clearly define the multiethnic and multiconfessional character of our state. What is especially important is the fact that the AANLM documents define in a crystal clear manner the right to a sovereignty based on the principles of self-determination, i.e. for the first time the Republic of Macedonia is constituted as an equal republic within the frames of the federal Yugoslavia. That centuries old desire, if you also wish a centuries old dream for a independent state of Macedonia as homeland of the Macedonians, the Albanians, Turks, Vlachs, Serbs, the Roma, Bosnjaks and all of her citizens continued to be dreamt and, at the 8th of September 1991, with the referenda for autonomous and independent state became reality. And that constant grounded in the Krusevo Manifesto for the multiethnic, multicultural and multiconfessional character of our state is also confirmed in the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia.
Ladies and gentleman,
In these twenty-six years (26) of independence, we all went through a numerous turbulences and crisis. Still, the most important fact is that those turbulences and crisis did not disrupt the spirit of togetherness and coexistence of the citizens, no matter their ethnic, religious, politic or any other difference. Values that have been confirmed through our common history and values which are confirmed in everyday life because we have known and we know how to share together the beautiful and the less beautiful moments that life brings. We have a common homeland the Republic of Macedonia and we are all responsible to preserve and develop it for us and for the future generations. At the same time, all of us that live here or at least the majority of the citizens share another common determination, if you prefer a dream, and that is the full integration to EU and NATO.
Unfortunately, on our road to accomplish our strategic determinations and our common dream there is a dispute which I believe you all know and so does the international community. We have an open issue with our southern neighbor, but I am optimistic and I am deeply convinced that if all of us approach with maximal seriousness and maturity to searching and finding a solution to overcome this really existing problem, we'll make a step higher on the scale of political maturity and responsibility. The current parliamentary majority and the current Government work with commitment in the direction of solving this opened issue, in the direction of closing of all opened issues so we can all engage as soon as possible to the necessary reforms which are needed if we aim to get back on the so called fast track to membership in NATO and starting the negotiations for full-fledged membership to EU.
I have in my mind primarily the development of the good neighborly relations in the region, and in that framework, a considerable step forward is the agreement for good neighborly relations with the Republic of Bulgaria. An agreement which was signed yesterday by the prime ministers of the governments of the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria, mister Zoran Zaev and Bojko Borisov. I hope that this agreement will be relatively fast ratified by the both parliaments, and with that I believe that we as neighbors will make a significant breakthrough in the bilateral relations, as well as in the strengthening of the stability in the region and its Euro-Atlantic perspective.
Ladies and gentleman,
Dear friends,
The period to come imposes a lot of hard work and serious, maybe at first sight tough decisions and solutions, which in a reasonable time will show the benefit for all the citizens. The Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia, and here I think of all hundred and twenty deputies and the administration have the capacity and I believe the political will to fulfill its commitment which derives from the governmental Plan known as 3-6-9. I am convinced that the other two pillars of power, the executive and the judiciary, have also the capacity to fulfill their commitments. I want to believe that the last political crisis has taught us that we must not repeat our mistakes again and to continue living in a vicious circle which manifests with unstable present and unclear future. I believe that all of us, slowly but surely overpass some antagonisms which have no roots in our common history, in our coexistence for centuries and tolerance, even less in our determinations for a better future within the frames of the European family. We owe it to all the previous generations which sacrificed their lives for today's free and independent Republic of Macedonia, but even more, we owe it to the future generations.
Thank you