macedonian diplomatic bulletin no. 51-52

8/3/2019 Macedonian diplomatic bulletin No. 51-52

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No. 51-52 / 2011

Special Supplement:

The Macedonian Language in the World - Learning and Affirmation

The first official visit of the Macedonian Foreign Minister,

Nikola Poposki, to the Republic of Croatia was highlighted byexcellent bilateral relations and a strong signal that after the

negotiations with Croatia end, the process of EU integration is to

be extended to the next stage with the Republic of Macedonia.


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No. 51-52 (July August 2011)

MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN

Founded by the MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS of the Republic of Macedonia.

Dame Gruev 6, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia / www.mfa.gov.mk [email protected]

Previous editors: Pajo Avirovik, October 2006-April 2008; Zvonimir Popovik, May 2008-January 2010

Editor:Vladimir Efremovski

Editorial Board: Agneza Rusi; Lina Ognenova;Zuko Rizvanski; Shaban Jashari;Aleksandar Trajkoski; Katerina Stavreska;Eli Bojadjieska Ristovski; Edvard Mitevski;Maciej Kaczorowski; Elena Georgievska;Mircela Dzuvalekovska Casule

Photo: Dragan Todorovski

Published monthly by:

MACEDONIAN INFORMATION CENTRE

Director: Dragan Antonov

Chief Translator:Aleksandra Ilievska

Address: Naum Naumovski Borce 73,1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedoniawww.micnews.com.mk

THIRD REGIONAL SUMMIT OF HEADSOF STATE IN OHRIDAt the ird RegionalSummit of Heads ofState held in Ohrid on12 July, the Presidentsof the Republic of

Macedonia, Albania,Montenegro and Ko-sovo, Gjorge Ivanov,Bamir Topi, FilipVujanovi and AtifeteJahjaga, stressed thataccelerated integration of the countries of the region into the EuropeanUnion and NATO was possible only by promoting economic cooperation,encouraging free ow of people and capital, promoting entrepreneur-ship and enhancing regional investments. ey also emphasized thevalorization of the common as well as the individual achievements ofevery country. Montenegro is going to host the next summit.

NIKOLA GRUEVSKI AT CROATIA SUMMIT 2011Nikola Gruevski, Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, par-ticipated in the 6th Croatia Summit 2011, A New Decade for SouthEast Europe Finalizing the Transition, held in Dubrovnik on 8-9 July.

PM Gruevski laid stress in his address on the successfully carriedout parliamentary elections in Macedonia, the readiness for meetingthe criteria for joining the Union, and the expectations of the EUcandidate member states that the EU would continue the open-doorpolicy. He emphasized the contribution of the Republic of Macedoniaas a loyal partner of the international community and argued for furtherpromotion of the good neighborly relations. Regarding the relationswith Greece, the Prime Minister stressed that he expected the EU to

pay more attention not to the rational but to the emotional aspect ofthe issue concerning Macedonias constitutional name, which wouldcertainly lead to its resolution. Macedonia remains committed to itsactivities for seeking out a pragmatic solution to the dispute, whichwould rest on the principles of not threatening the national identityand respecting diversity, which is also reected in the basic values ofthe Union.

e opening ceremony of the Summit was addressed by the PrimeMinister and President of the Republic of Croatia, Jadranka Kosor andIvo Josipovi respectively, as well as by the Prime Ministers of Slovenia,Bulgaria, Belgium, Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro and the Speakerof the Israeli Parliament, the Undersecretary for Political Aairs of the

USA and the Chairwoman of the Committee of the Regions of the EU.

EDITORIAL DIPLOMATIC NEWS

MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN No. 51/52 20112

A SUCCESS FOR ONEIS A SUCCESS FOR ALLOver the past twenty years, words, such as mutual under-standing, tolerance, dialogue, compromise, integration,Euro-Atlantic values, etc, as against words, such as dis-pute, misunderstanding, enmity, nationalism, conict, etc,have not been just a diplomatic rhetoric for the Republic

of Macedonia but also and above all a challenge, real-ity, investment of enormous energy, and articulation andrealization of the interests of the majority citizens in ourcountry that the good neighborly relations, friendship andcooperation among the countries of the region should bethe only lasting formula for the present and future.

Every friendship, including the one between the peoplesand countries of the Balkans, requires a sucient amountof good will, perseverance, trust and tolerance. I think thatthe Republic of Macedonia, as few countries in the world,proved all of that in its relations with Albania, Bulgaria,Greece, Kosovo and Serbia. A conrmation of this assess-ment is to be found in the reports of the EC and many other

relevant international organizations and institutions. Yet themost signicant conrmation comes from the citizens ofthese countries that started recognizing a new spirit, a newway of life, thus ensuring their security, stability, peace andprosperity. Not any lesser is Macedonias commitment tobuilding as productive relations as possible with Slovenia,Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Romania,Moldavia, Cyprus and particularly Turkey.

e Republic of Macedonia is led by the belief that asuccess for one country in the region is a success for all(the last one over which we rejoiced being the decisionof the EC that Croatia met the conditions for EU mem-

bership) regardless of whether that success is achievedwith respect to the Euro-Atlantic integration, economy,infrastructure, sport or culture. Only one big and at thesame time small problem with neighboring Greece hasle. By the way it has been established (by Greece), thisissue is rather delicate, unique and, in a way, insolvable.However, we, diplomats, never recognize nor accept in-solvable situations. Moreover, the optimism rises bearingin mind everything that has been happening in the recentyears in our region when it comes to the acceptance ofthe core European values, the mutual understanding, thesharing of problems and the need for new modern synergyfor their resolution as a need and quest, above all, of thepeoples from this part of the world.

In this context, the Republic of Macedonia incorpo-rates its politics also in all regional initiatives (South-EastEuropean Cooperation Process, CEI, RCC, SECI, etc),in which it attempts to support, what is known as, thegreatest common denominator. It also goes a step furtherpromoting the Ohrid Group (summits of the heads ofstate of Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo).e objective is to rearm, within the region and also tothe entire international community, that these countrieshave historical, cultural, human and natural resources tobe again the bright spot of human civilization.

Dejan KOSTADINOV PETROV

State Counsellor for Bilateral Relationswith South European Countries

and for Regional Initiatives


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Your Excellency, afer serving as Ambas-sador o the Republic o Poland to theRepublic o Macedonia or our years, howdo you see the relations between the twocountries now? What achievement wouldyou single out as the most remarkable?

I must say that four years of working inthis country is actually one-twelh of mylifetime. So, its seems that I have spent atleast one month in Macedonia during mylife which makes me, I believe, one-twelh

Macedonian. However, I must admit that,both in my heart and the heart of my family,Macedonia will have a very close and warmplace. We have been granted the opportu-nity to meet wonderful people who havethe Macedonian warmth in their hearts andthey are always willing to share this with theforeigners, which is a very positive value. AsI said, the Macedonian ag will wave highlyin my memories. When I look back at theperspective of almost four years of my pres-ence here, as one of the outstanding achieve-

ments I must mention the placement of thestone in the Museum in Treblinka with theinscription Macedonia as a commemora-tion to 98% of the Macedonian Jews that haveperished in the Nazi concentration camp onthe territory of occupied Poland in Treblinka.I believe this also helped to clear out, amongthe Macedonian media and people, the ques-tion concerning the misuse of the so-calledPolish concentration camps and proper fromthe historical, ethical and moral point of viewnaming them Nazi concentration camps onthe territory of occupied Poland becausesuch misuse is very harmful, not only to thememory of the six million of my Compa-triots that have perished during the SecondWorld War but also to the memory of theMacedonian Jews that have perished in the

Nazi concentration camp on the territory ofoccupied Poland in Treblinka. is issue hascertainly been a milestone especially taking

into account that Skopje is the fourth capitalin the world that has a Holocaust Museumaer Yad Vashem, Washington and Berlin. Ihope there will be a very close cooperationbetween the Jewish Historical Institute andthe Skopje-based Holocaust Museum. We arein the process of working out the possibilitiesfor such cooperation. Special place in myvivid memory holds the feeling of solidarityof the Macedonian people aer the tragicplane crash on the 10 April 2010 in whichthe President of the Republic of Poland alongwith over 90 members of the delegation losttheir lives. From a legal aspect during mymandate in Skopje, I should mention thesigning of the bilateral agreement on ghtagainst organized crime, agreement on theprotection of condential information andsigning of a cooperation agreement betweenthe Ministries of Defense in the eld of De-fense, some of the mentioned agreementsled to the possibilities of growing interest ofthe Polish industry here in Macedonia andalso Macedonian interest in the products andoers of our industry.

Poland, I must admit, is one of the coun-tries which holds a lot of sympathy amongMacedonians. Not only due to the fact ac-cording to historians of the meeting of theenvoys of Tsar Samuil with the envoys of thefounder of the Polish State, Duke Mieszkothe First in the 10th Century on the court ofthe European Emperor but also because ofthe presence of Polish revolutionaries dur-ing the Krusevo Republic and the IlindenUprising, as well as to the help donated tothe refugees from Aegean Macedonia in

1948 and the rebuilding of Skopje aer theearthquake in 1963 by a team led by Polishengineer, Adolf Ciborowski, so there a lot ofhistorical, emotional, cultural ties, people topeople contacts, that are actually cementingthis cooperation between our two countriesand from a political point of view, makingthis cooperation easier. e Polish minorityin Macedonia, whose number overpasses halfa thousand people consists of three organi-zations Wisla, Vardar and Klub Polonia.ere is also an emerging new organization ofthe young Polish minority e Foundationof Young Polonia. Some of the representativesof the Polish minority hold important posi-tions in the administration of their secondHomeland, Macedonia. We hope that theinuence of the Polish minority in Macedonia

will grow, for I think that the Polish presencein this beautiful, biblical country is here tostay. I also sincerely and wholeheartedly hope

that we will expand our rich historical tiesin such a way that there will be in the nearfuture fruitful contacts enjoyed behind thesame political tables, as members of NATOand the European Union.

Economic cooperation is the one segmento bilateral relations that truly benets thecitizens o the countries. Do you see anopportunity or promoting cooperationbetween Macedonia and Poland in the eldo economy and what concrete steps doyou believe should be taken in this regard?Are Polish businessmen inormed enoughabout the possibilities or investment thatthe Republic o Macedonia oers?

e economic situation in todays Europeis, as we know, not the best one. However, thebilateral cooperation between Poland andMacedonia can be considered as positive.Let me mention that our turnover in 2008placed Poland on the eleventh place amongMacedonias trade partners. Unfortunately,the ratio of trade between Poland and Mac-edonia was 16:1 and once the crisis had ar-

rived, we unfortunately, also due to this highratio, dropped from the eleventh position to afurther one. However, I still am hopeful thatwe can achieve for Poland to be in the rstten countries among the trade partners ofMacedonia. I am certain that there are widepossibilities before us, for the benet of twocountries. We are opening new possibilitiesin the eld of cooperation between the Min-istries of Defense and Polish industry. Frommy experience, Macedonian businessmenare well-informed about the possibilities of

investing in Poland. In the 21 Century, youcertainly need a lot of work put into market-ing, not only in marketing of Macedonianproducts but also marketing of Macedoniancompanies and political marketing as well.Without marketing one might oer a goodproduct, but it will be very dicult to sell.

When it comes to the investments of Polishcompanies here, I should mention as exam-ple two of our forerunners: a joint venturePolish-Macedonian textile company in Del-cevo and a soware company in Macedonia.Unfortunately, we have lost the tender for thebuses in Skopje but nevertheless some of theindustry companies that produce specicequipment are also interested in this market,not only in selling the products but also in thepossibilities for investment and also in the

MACEDONIA HAS SHOWN TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITYTHAT IF THERE IS WILL, THERE IS A WAY

Interview with H.E. Mr. Dariusz Karol Bachura, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Macedonia


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possibilities of being shareholders of someof the Macedonian companies.

Cooperation in the eld o tourism betweenour countries seems unsatisactory andlargely comes down to individual visits oPolish citizens to Macedonia or businessreasons and o Macedonian citizens to

Polands winter resorts. In recent years theRepublic o Macedonia has worked hardto promote itsel as an attractive touristdestination, as a result o which we seeagain organized groups o oreign tourists.In your view, what are the possibilities oestablishing closer cooperation at a na-tional level and will concluding tourismcooperation agreements between the twocountries contribute to more intense tour-ist exchange?

To my knowledge, this year, visits havebeen made of Polish tour-operators in Mac-edonia for this is an interesting market, es-pecially as a transit-tourism market. Tens ofthousands of Polish tourists pass Macedoniato reach other destinations and I think that ifMacedonia succeeds in attracting these tour-ists for at least a couple of nights, this would bemost protable. Short term perspective wouldcall for making of Macedonia as a transit tour-ist destination, long term perspective to makeit a tourist destination place on the Europeancontinent. In both cases a lot of investmentstill needs to be done for Macedonia to be

competitive on the European tourist market.In the meantime I must confess that I am veryhappy to see more and more tourists fromPoland on the streets of Skopje and othercities. I am most pleased that there is a greatinterest of expanding cooperation on locallevel between certain cities of Macedoniaand Poland and I hope for the possibility ofsigning an agreement of cooperation betweenthe Polish city of Krakw (the historical seatof Polish kings) and the Macedonian cityof Ohrid, which will expand the interest

of Polish tourists towards the Macedonianpearl and Jerusalem of the Balkans - Ohrid.Bright, sunny days seem to be ahead of us inour bilateral cooperation also in this eld.

e Republic o Macedonia and the Re-public o Poland have traditionally goodrelations and cooperation in the eld oculture. With a view to promoting coop-eration urther, in 2009 a new program orcultural cooperation was signed betweenthe Macedonian Ministry o Culture andthe Polish Ministry o Culture and NationalHeritage or the period 2009-2011. Bearingin mind the close cultural ties between ourcountries, are you pleased with the coop-eration in this regard and do you trust thatthere is room or expanding cooperation?

ere is always room for expanding coop-eration however I must admit that we havean excellent cooperation with the Ministry ofCulture and the Minister of Culture is veryopen to our suggestions and I am extremelypleased that we have managed to sign theprotocol for cooperation for the period of2009-2011, which has a clause of automatic

prolongation for the next 2 years. Lookingback at the time that has passed, I believe thereis a possibility of expanding this cooperationin other elds and perhaps prolonging the pe-riod from two years to a longer period of time.

From the point of view of culture, wehave managed, with the cooperation of theMinistry of Culture of Macedonia, to markthe bicentennial anniversary of the birth ofthe Polish composer Frdric Chopin withover thirty events all across Macedonia. Withsuch magnitude of concerts, exhibitions,competitions, lms and other events, we hopethat Chopin will be remembered. Macedoniawas, I must admit, one of the few countriesthat have received the possibility to place twobusts of our composer. One bust was placedin Kisela Voda where we have opened a parknamed aer Frdric Chopin, as well as an-other bust which has been placed in the cur-rent seat of the Macedonian Philharmonicsawaiting the end of construction of the newpremises of the National Philharmonics inwhich there will be a part of the new buildingdedicated to Frdric Chopin, where nally

the second bust will be placed. May I add thatthere is also a street of Frdric Chopin inKisela Voda with a special plaque uncoveredfor the composers 200 birthday. e Mayorof Kisela Voda along with his sta as well asthe director of the Macedonian Philharmon-ics have been extremely helpful in the aboveundertakings which would not be possiblewithout their consent. e celebrations ofChopins anniversary are a good example ofhow close the cooperation in the eld of cul-ture is. A Polish conductor has been present

here for many years and working togetherwith the Philharmonics. ere are numerousevents in other cities such as Bitola, Ohrid andKumanovo where concerts have been takingplace, not only of Chopin but also other Polishcomposers. We have, as the Embassy, tried tointroduce new events in the cultural calendar,which actually became annual events, suchas concerts of Polish Christmas Carols inDecember or concerts devoted to VirginMary hosted in the Catholic Cathedral withthe use of the Church organs just to namea few. We also have a very good cooperationwith the Macedonian post oce which westarted in 2008 with an idea of promotingMacedonian road towards the EuropeanUnion by issuing stamps of countries whichcurrently hold presidencies in Council of the

European Union. e idea was to promoteeither the cities or well-known individualsthat have le a substantial mark on the ideaof united Europe and one of the rst stampsthat were issued this collection was a stampwith the Polish trade unions Solidarity logoand with former head of those trade unionsand rst freely elected president of Poland

aer communist dictatorship, Lech Walesa.en there was of course, Robert Schumann,Paris, Prague, Ljubljana, Budapest recentlyand now Warsaw as the present holder of thesix months presidency of the Council of theEuropean Union.

Please allow me to add that none of theseundertakings would have been possible with-out the people behind the scenes, especiallymy co-workers in the Embassy of the Republicof Poland in Skopje, their devotion and hardwork, their patience and professionalism, andfamily atmosphere with which they have wel-comed and surrounded me and my family in aforeign land. I thank them all wholeheartedly.

In addition to the political support orMacedonias European integration, Polandis also extending concrete support throughthe process called Skopje Conerence by themodel o cooperation between the Neth-erlands and Poland reerred to as UtrechtConerence when Poland was conductingEU membership negotiations. What is yourview o the Skopje Conerence, which took

place in Skopje last year and in Warsawrecently?

e Skopje Conference is a vivid exampleof the sentence that, for Poland, it is not aquestion if Macedonia becomes a EuropeanUnion member but a question of when,may I add - the sooner the better. In fact,Macedonia is the rst country that we haveshared this model of cooperation which wehave enjoyed for over a decade as the UtrechtConference. We want this project to be a suc-cess story. If the Skopje conference goes well,

we will consider possibilities of sharing thiskind of conference ideas with other countriesthat aspire to the EU. e Skopje Conferenceis actually building of a network of contactsbetween ministries dealing with acquis is-sues. It is also a formation of contacts onspecic issues and exchange of views as wellas precise and down to the point exchangeof our experience concerning the EU andour road to it. Not only does it provide thecountry with information on the road to theEuropean Union but what is more important,perhaps, which you will see once you becomeEU member, is that this kind of cooperationcontinues also aer the country becomes EUmember and believe me, from our experience,we have realized that it is perhaps even moreimportant to have someone lead you by the


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hand during the rst months of the EuropeanUnion membership, if just in order not toget lost in the maze of corridors in Brussels.President Walesa once said that ere arepositive pluses and negative pluses andmay I add that concerning the EU whetherpositive or negative, all in al both are pluses.ere is a saying in Poland that when you

cannot enter through the door, try to enterthrough the window. is is exactly wherethe Skopje Conference comes in. As we areall aware, one of the main obstacles towardthe NATO and the EU integration is the issueconcerning negotiations between Skopje andAthens. However, once the negotiations withthe Greek partner are successfully completed,which I hope will happen in the near future,then according to the decisions taken in Bu-charest at the NATO Summit, the decisionof Macedonian membership toward NATOcan be taken from the level of the NATOambassadors, almost automatically. However,when it comes to the EU, once the issue isresolved, according to the Progress Reportsfrom last years, Macedonia will be able to startmembership negotiations, meaning that formembership status you will have to wait untilnegotiations are successfully completed. Inorder to make the time of membership nego-tiations as short as possible, and become a EUmember as soon as possible it would be ad-visable to start the required reforms withoutdelay making the fulllment of acquis easier.

Nevertheless, one must be aware that regard-less whether you want to become EU memberor NATO member, Macedonia is a part of theEuropean continent. Being a part of the Eu-ropean continent in the 21 Century requirescertain reforms that need to be taken. As thePresident of the Republic of Macedonia, H.E.Mr. Gjorge Ivanov has said: Macedonia is anexample of integration without assimilation,I hope that in question of needed reforms (forexample in the eld of public administration,judiciary, ght against corruption, freedom of

speech) Macedonia will also be an example ofAdopting laws with implementation. Short-ening Macedonias road to the EU is also inour interest. Poland wants to see you in theEuro-Atlantic structures as soon as possible.But some questions on this road you have tosolve on your own. A true friend can giveyou sincere advice but will not do the workfor you. We want to give you the shing rodand not the sh. I hope that the signal that,during the Polish presidency, most probablythere will be an accession treaty signed withCroatia, is an example that the expansion ofthe EU-processes is ongoing, that there is nofatigue and that Western Balkans are high onthe EU agenda.

Macedonia is an excellent example that ifyou do your homework properly, there will

be benets, that the EU stays committed toits promises. In regards to the visa liberali-zation issue, Macedonians have done theirhomework very well, they have been theforerunners in the region and a great examplefor other countries to follow and they havebeen granted the visa liberalization by the EU.is example can serve as additional proof for

Macedonia that once all the requirements aremet, there will be benets. I must also add thaton the road of Macedonia to the EU there isalso close cooperation between our Ministriesof Foreign Aairs. ere are also possibili-ties for the Macedonian Ministry of ForeignAairs to translate our diplomatic protocolguide book for which we have abandonedfor Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Aairsour copyrights. We hope that the translationto Macedonian and publication of extremelyuseful in everyday work book will be for thebenets of the Macedonian diplomats andthe Macedonian administration. So there area lot of possibilities opening before our twocountries, a lot of possibilities opening beforeMacedonia. As I always say: where there iswill on both sides, there is always a way toresolve issues and expand friendly relationsand further cooperation.

On 1 July, Poland took over the Presidencyo the Council o the EU. What are yourexpectations with respect to the integrationo the Western Balkans and the priorities

o the Presidency? Can Macedonia expectenhanced eort rom Poland so that a dateor opening accession talks between theRepublic o Macedonia and the EU cannally be set?

In the last two progress reports it has beennoted that the main obstacle that is remainingis the solving of the name issue. Poland willaccept any compromise solution of the nameissue that would unblock the negotiationsand any solution that will be accepted byboth Skopje and Athens under the auspices

of the United Nations. We hope that this is-sue will be resolved in the near future. In themeantime, we think that it will be advisableto help Macedonia as much as possible tomeet the acquis requirements.

The Polish Presidency of the Councilof the European Union is represented by alogo which has been designed by the sameperson who drew the Solidarity logo overthree decades ago. is logo represents de-velopment, innovation, growth, creativity,energy, dynamism, variety, solidarity. epointed upwards arrows are linked and theircolors represent numerous ags of the EUmember states, led by a Polish ag, givingthe logo strength and cohesion. e Polishpresidency consists of three main priori-ties. Polands three priorities are: growth,

security and openness. Growth - meaningEuropean integration as a source of growth.is priority has three sub pillars: internalmarket, EU budget 2014-2020 and tradenegotiations with non EU members. Wehave the economic situation in Europe as itis and therefore we must focus on the eco-nomic issues. Security expanding European

economically also needs security, thereforethis is also another pillar of our presidencyand as regards the European security we willfocus on three main pillars: the energy secu-rity, security policy and also food security.However, growing and secure Europe shouldnot close itself. On the contrary, this growthand security should be expanded to othercountries. erefore, Europe will be benet-ing from the openness, and openness is ourthird priority. We view further EU expansionas a two-way street. e countries that will inthe future become European Union memberswill benet from the membership and theEU will also benet by expanding political,military and economic security. erefore,in this third priority of openness, we havetwo sub pillars of the EU expansion and theneighborhood policy. In this EU expansionarea, the questions of Western Balkans areone of the main priorities. e possibilitiesof signing the accession treaty with Croatiagives a very clear signal that there is no fa-tigue in the EU towards expansion and thatwe will support the EU aspiration of other

Western Balkan states. And of course, there isthe neighborhood policy which is also crucialto us. In short we want more Europe in Eu-rope. Specic and detailed information of thePresidency can be viewed at the Presidencyweb page: www.pl2011.eu Allow me to add,that in support of the European aspiration ofWestern Balkans, there will also be - in a seaof many conferences taking place in Poland,Brussels or Luxembourg meeting that willtake place in the region of Western Balkans,here in Macedonia. I am speaking about e

EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum ofJustice and Home Aairs which will takeplace in October, in beautiful Ohrid. isserves as another example that the Polishpresidency is giving once again a clear signalthat for us, is not a question if Macedoniabecomes a member of the European Unionbut a question of when.

I have already presented, together withthe Head of the EU Delegation in Skopje,Ambassador Peter Sorensen the priorities ofthe Polish Presidency of the Council of theEuropean Union to the general Macedonianpublic. As the Polish Presidency we would likefor the Macedonian society to view the EUMacedonian glass as half full not half empty,to have more optimism for the future andfor the aspirations of Macedonia to EU and

Intervieww

ithH.E.

Mr.DariuszKarolBachura,

Ambassad

oroftheRepublicofPoland

totheRepublicofMacedonia


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Your Excellency, how do you assess thedevelopment o the bilateral relations be-tween the two countries and the prospectsor their promotion, especially bearing inmind last years visit (May, 2010) o Mac-edonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevskito the Kingdom o Morocco?

e bilateral relations between the twocountries are satisfactory and encouraging.Since the establishment of diplomatic rela-

tions between the Kingdom of Morocco andthe Republic of Macedonia, on 18 September2002, our two countries have had excel-lent political relations, as evidenced by thenumerous visits of high-ranking Moroccanand Macedonian ocials over the course ofthe last three years.

In 2010 the Morocco-Macedonia relationsimproved as a result of the ocial visit of HisExcellency, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski,to Morocco on 10-12 May 2010, who ap-pealed for closer bilateral cooperation in the

areas of economy, trade and tourism. isrst top-level visit to an Arab and Africancountry was crowned with the signing oftwo bilateral agreements: the conventionon avoidance of double taxation and theagreement on reciprocal encouragementand protection of investments.

e rst bilateral political consultations inSkopje on 21 and 22 January 2010 betweenMrs. Latifa Akharbach, Secretary of Stateto the Minister of Foreign Aairs and Co-operation of Morocco, and Mr. Abdulkadar

Memedi, State Secretary for Foreign Aairs,resulted in signing a Cooperation Protocolfor development of mechanism for regularpolitical consultations between the Ministriesof Foreign Aairs of the two countries.

It is also worth mentioning the participa-tion of a Moroccan delegation of the Houseof Counselors to the 75th edition of theRose-Roth Seminar, jointly organized bythe Macedonian National Assembly andthe Parliamentary Assembly of NATO inSkopje on 19-21 October 2010, the visit of theformer Wali Al Madhalim (Ombudsman),Mr. Moulay M'hamed Iraki, in October2010 at the invitation of his Macedoniancounterpart, the visit of Macedonian MPSasko Steov, and the participation of Mr.Abdulkadar Memedi, State Secretary for

Foreign Aairs, in the Conference of theAlliance of Civilizations, organized in Rabat.

State Secretary Memedi participated alsoin the second session of the bilateral politicalconsultations in Rabat in April 2011.

e appointment of Mr. Agron Buxhakuas rst Ambassador of the Republic of Mac-edonia to Morocco, resident in Paris, and thecoordination of issues of bilateral, regionaland multilateral nature within the frameworkof the friendly relations and cooperationbetween the two countries are also factors

attesting to the promising perspectives ofthe bilateral relations.

Do you believe that there is a avorablebusiness climate or oreign investmentsin the Republic o Macedonia and what doboth countries need to do to strengthenthe economic cooperation and raise invest-ments o companies rom the Kingdom oMorocco in the Republic o Macedonia,considering the high level o politicalrelations?

e Republic of Macedonia oers an arrayof possibilities to foreign companies that wishto invest in the country. It commenced a setof reforms in order to improve its businessenvironment and attract foreign investments,which is why the World Bank put Macedoniaamong the worlds top reformers.

Macedonias true advantage is being astable country. It has a good geographic loca-tion and presents itself as Europes crossroads.Moreover, salaries are low and the workforceis qualied. Foreign companies enjoy thesame rights as home rms: prot tax cutfor three years, subsidies for creating newjobs, and faster business start-up procedures.

As regards the economic cooperationbetween Morocco and Macedonia, accord-ing to the statistics of the Embassy, bilateral

No. 51/52 2011 MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN 7

BOTH COUNTRIES HAVE IMMENSE POTENTIALS FOR PROMOTIONOF ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND INVESTMENTS

Interview with H.E. Mrs. Aziza Limame, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Republic of Macedonia

NATO. Let me honestly admit that I am mostpositively surprised at the last preliminaryparliamentary elections and at the turnoutof the society, and at the way that the elec-tions were handled. e joy that the electionswent well lls my heart and I am condentthat there will be a positive remark madeon this aspect in this years Progress Report.

By running such elections Macedonia hasshown to the international community thatif there is a will there is a way. By these elec-tions the People of Macedonia have statesthat: Yes, we can have democratic elections

and if we really want to join the internationalorganizations and community - we can. esociety and democracy triumphed again. LikeI stated before: where there is a will, there isa way. Having such support for EU/NATOintegration, one of the highest among aspir-ant countries, is a benet for Macedonia andit is also a very good signal for the political

elite of this country to have more bravery inmaking the decisions towards the countrysEuro-Atlantic integration.

Turning back the circle of time, I vividlyremember the day when I presented my

credentials to the countrys then-president,Mr. Branko Crvenkovski. It was the 12th ofDecember 2007. In my speech I expressedhope that during my mandate Macedoniawould become a NATO member state andthat it would make big step forward to theEU integration. I am leaving the countrywith the knowledge that when it comes to

NATO and the EU integration, there is thisone enormous obstacle that must be resolvedfor the benet of the people, for the benetof Macedonia, benet of the region and thecontinent.


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trade in 2009 reached some 1.7 million dol-lars, which a 6 percent increase from 2008.Both countries have immense potentials forpromotion of economic cooperation andinvestments and hence the need to explorethe diverse areas of cooperation that theeconomies of both countries oer and toinitiate contacts between Moroccan andMacedonian businessmen with a view toimplementing joint projects. It will also besuggested that a delegation of Moroccanbusinessmen visit Macedonia in 2012.

What are your views o the situation andprogress o the Western Balkans and theRepublic o Macedonias position in thisregion?

In this regard, we would like to welcomethe sweeping reforms undertaken by theGovernment of the Republic of Macedonia,as well as the considerable progress made in

certain key sectors, as well as in the processof Euro-Atlantic integration.

e Macedonian Government knew howto implement the Stabilization and Associa-tion Agreement with the European Unioneciently and exibly and was granted thestatus of a candidate member state in 2005upon meeting the required criteria.

As far as your countrys position in theregion is concerned, the Republic of Mac-edonia plays a very positive role in the West-ern Balkans, namely by promoting friendlyrelations, good neighborly relations andcooperation with the countries of the regionand by making an active contribution toregional security and stability.

Your Excellency, what is the stance o theKingdom o Morocco regarding the devel-opments in the North Arican countries,the so-called Arab Spring?

e events that rocked some North Af-rican and Middle East countries are part ofthe universal aspiration of the people for

freedom and democracy. ey demonstratedthe link between the economic and socialdevelopment and the parallel political anddemocratic evolution.

Amidst the popular unrest, His High-ness, King Mohammed VI, with Gods will,announced in his historic address to thenation on 9 March 2011 the far-reachingconstitutional reforms aiming to consolidatethe democratic process in Morocco, such asthe consecration of our plural identity, therecognition of the identity of the Berbers, theconstitutional consecration of the advancedregionalization led by the Provinces in theSouth of the Kingdom, the guarantee ofthe independence of the judiciary and theexpansion of the prime ministers powers.

In this respect, we wish to underline thatthe contents of the Kings speech is part ofthe agenda of all-encompassing reforms thatwere commenced under the leadership of His

Highness, the King, such as the passing of anew law on family relations that promoteswomens rights in Morocco, the increasedpolitical representation of women in variousgovernment institutions, the National Hu-man Development Initiative, the creation ofthe Equity and Reconciliation Commission,the rst of its kind in the Muslim world,the religious reforms, the establishment ofthe Economic and Social Council, whichwas added to the other structures alreadyin place in Morocco, and the creation ofthe Council of Human Rights as a nationalmechanism for promotion and protection ofhuman rights and freedoms in compliancewith international standards.

e Kingdom of Morocco was sparedthe events currently troubling a number ofArab countries thanks to its MillenniumMonarchy, the cornerstone of the nationsunity and a guaranty of strong identity witha number of sources, which distinguishesitself by its reform orientation, profoundlegitimacy, capacity for listening and iden-

tication with the aim of ghting better theevil and social aws.

e reforms undertaken by Morocco in allareas, its social and economic developmentand its constant political and democraticevolution were welcomed by the internationalcommunity and rewarded by the EuropeanUnion, making Morocco the rst countryin the South Mediterranean enjoying anadvanced status in its relations with theEuropean Union.

Following the Kings Speech of 9 March2011 in which a sweeping constitutionalreform was heralded, a commission was setup of representatives of all political forces,the civic society and trade unions to drawup the new Constitution, On 17 June, HisHighness, King Mohammed VI said thedra Constitution would be voted on in areferendum on 1 July.

e new Constitution represents a major

democratic turning point in Morocco thatbrings a coherent, balanced and innovativearchitecture in the spirit of the most modernConstitutions and which, in addition to theclassical mainstays of government and theirfunctioning, establishes new pillars, namelythe basic rights and liberties, good govern-ance and advanced regionalization.

The proposed new Constitution waswelcomed by UN Secretary-General BanKi-moon and French President NicolasSarkozy, who expressed his support forthe constitutional reforms initiated by HisHighness, the King, aimed at completingthe process of building the rule of law anddemocratic institutions. Support for the newreforms contained in the new Constitutionwas expressed also by a number of countriesincluding the European Union.

In conclusion, these achievements haveput the Kingdom of Morocco in a uniquesituation, not comparable to that of othercountries in the region, although in mycountry the Arab spring is not new.

MACEDONIAN ARMY DAY MARKEDArmy Day, 18 August, was celebrated with a ceremony at the WaterTraining Center in Ohrid, at which the new Chief of the Macedo-nian Army General Sta was also appointed. e former Chief,General Miroslav Stojanovski, handed over the oce to GeneralMajor Goranco Koteski.

As Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the Presidentof the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, acknowledged in hisspeech the contribution of all previous army chiefs, ocers andnoncommissioned soldiers, civilians and peacekeepers. Among otherthings, President Ivanov stressed that the Republic of Macedoniamet all criteria for NATO membership, expressing assurance thata day would come when Macedonia would formally become partof the Euro-Atlantic brotherhood of peoples committed to greatersecurity, democracy and human rights in the world.

e celebration of the Armys 19th birthday was attended byParliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski, former ministers of defense

and general sta chiefs, Members of Parliament, representatives ofthe diplomatic corps, military attaches and other guests.



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OTTO VON HABSBURG DIES

Otto von Habsburg, son of Charles I, the last Emperor of Austriaand King of Hungary, died on 4 July at the age of 98 in Bavaria,

Germany. He was founder and president of the Paneuropean

Union and was Member of the European Parliament for two

decades from the ranks of the Bavarian Christian Social Union

(CSU). Von Habsburg will stay remembered as a great friend

and supporter of Macedonia. For his exceptional contribution

to strengthening the international position and reputation of

Macedonia, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov decorated

him with the Order of Merit for Macedonia and in 2006 he was

presented with the prestigious Boris Trajkovski Award by thePaneuropean Union of Macedonia. Von Habsburg supported

also Macedonias independence and its bid for rapid accession

to the European Union.

PARLIAMENT ELECTS NEW MACEDONIANGOVERNMENT

With 70 votes in favor and 47 against, the seventh parliamentarycomposition since Macedonias independence and the rst thathas 123 MPs elected the ninth Macedonian Government on 28July. Nikola Gruevski was entrusted a term of oce to form andhead the Government for the third time. In the makeup of the newGovernment, Zoran Stavreski and Vladimir Pesevski retained theirpositions as deputy prime ministers, while Tetuta Ari and MusaXhaferi were appointed a new deputy prime minister for EuropeanAairs and a new deputy prime minister for the implementationof the Framework Agreement respectively. Six ministers of theprevious composition of the Government maintained their of-ces Gordana Jankuloska (Interior), Zoran Stavreski (Finance),Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska (Culture), Mile Janakieski (Transportand Communications), Ivo Ivanovski (Information Society andAdministration) and Ljupco Dimovski (Agriculture). Former

Deputy Minister Spiro Ristovski is now Minister of Labor andSocial Aairs; Former Education Minister Nikola Todorov tookover the Ministry of Health; Former Economy Minister FatmirBesimi was appointed Minister of Defense; and Abdulaqim Ademiwas elected Minister of Environment. New names in the Govern-ment are Nikola Poposki, Minister of Foreign Aairs, Pance Kralev,Minister of Education, Blerim Bexheti, Minister of Justice, NevzatBejta, Minister of Local Government, and Valon Saraqini, Ministerof Economy. Nezdet Mustafa, Hadi Nezir and Vele Samak are stillministers without portfolio.

In his speech in front of the MPs, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevskistressed that the Government was combination of youth and experi-

ence professionals with personal integrity and ethic, promisinghonest, dedicated, responsible and hard work in tackling old and newchallenges and priorities: raising the economic growth rate to 7 per-cent by 2015, integration into NATO and the EU, ghting corruptionand crime, good interethnic relations and investment in educationand information technology. e Government expects foreign invest-ments to increase to 650 million euros by 2015, the unemploymentrate to drop, and the denar to be kept stable with an ination rate ofnot more than 3 percent. It also believes that the realization of thepresented program will contribute to a better life of the citizens ofthe Republic of Macedonia and that in four years the country wouldturn into a modern European country and a better place to live.

Seeking out a solution to the name issue with Greece is still oneof the Governments top priorities. According to the new Ministerof Foreign Aairs, Nikola Poposki, both sides need to overcometheir stereotypical approaches and with positive energy and fulldedication to this problem, which objectively blocks our progresstoward the EU and NATO, we are going to achieve our goal.

CONFERENCE MARKS 10TH ANNIVERSARYOF OHRID AGREEMENTWithin the framework of the celebration of the 10th anniversaryof the Ohrid Framework Agreement, a Conference took place inOhrid on 12-13 August in which a number of domestic and foreignpoliticians, who played the role of facilitators during the armedconict supporting the country in the implementation of what had

been agreed upon, took part.Opening the Conference, Macedonian President Ivanov said thathistory had taught us that accomplishing peace was necessary tohelp democracy grow stronger. It is this that the Ohrid FrameworkAgreement claims credit for, President Ivanov stressed and addedthat democracy and multi-ethnicity shared a common trait - beingmore ecient if they spring from within the society itself.

Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki assessed the Agree-ment at the panel discussion focusing on the accords evaluation as oursuccess story, with which territorial solutions to the ethnic problemsand prolonged violence were avoided and with which a signicantcontribution had been made to building a culture of tolerance, mutualunderstanding and trust, at a much higher level than ten years ago.

e Conference was attended also by Peter Srensen, Chief ofthe EU Delegation to the Republic of Macedonia, Ralf Breth, OSCEHead of Mission in the Republic of Macedonia, Brian Aggeler, ChargedAaires at the US Embassy in the Republic of Macedonia, andChristopher Yvon, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of GreatBritain and Northern Ireland to the Republic of Macedonia.



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On 2 August the Republic of Macedonia celebrated the great holidayof Ilinden, the symbol of freedom, independence and a sovereign

country of the people of Macedonia. is year the 108th anniversaryof the Krusevo Republic, the rst Republic in the Balkans, and the67th anniversary of the creation of the rst Macedonian state weremarked. e two historic Ilindens were celebrated with numerousgatherings and events.

Laying owers at the monument to the President of the Pre-sidium of ASNOM, Metodija Andonov Cento, in the MacedoniaSquare in Skopje, President Gjorge Ivanov stressed: Just as therevolutionaries of 1903 and 1941-1945 fought for independentand sovereign Macedonia united, we should unite in realizing thedream of the Macedonian citizens of a democratic, European andEuro-Atlantic Republic of Macedonia. Numerous state and foreign

delegations also laid owers at the monument to the rst Presidentof the Presidium of ASNOM.e traditional popular gathering at Meckin Kamen in Krusevo,

which is in fact the central event of the holiday, was attended byParliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski. He congratulated the citizenssaying: In the spirit of the two Ilindens when the general and specichuman rights and freedoms were clearly dened, today we shouldpromote and nurture our countrys multiethnic, multi-culturaland multi-confessional character. e people of Macedonia havethus conrmed and promoted their cosmopolitism, tolerance andrespect for the other.

e event 10 Days of the Krusevo Republic started with theceremonial arrival of the horsemen of the traditional Ilinden marchthat started from the Skopje village of Gorno Lisice on 27 July.

e government delegation led by Prime Minister Gruevski laidowers at the ASNOM Memorial Center in the Kumanovo villageof Pelince where the anniversary of holding the First Assembly ofASNOM was celebrated.

We are not trees without roots, our struggle for freedom andprogress is based upon historic continuity of intertwined ideas ofthe two Ilindens. e results of the National Liberation Movementare an example of a victory won with ones own strength, eort,sacrice, energy, love and patriotism that eventually led to triumphwhereupon the Macedonian nation came to stand should to shoul-der with the nations having put an end to Hitlers atrocities, theprime minister said.

According to Gruevski, the second Ilinden incorporated initself the civilization achievements of the rst, built on them andrealized them. Delegations of Parliament, the Presidents Oce,the Association of WWII Veterans, the diplomatic corps, and the

General Sta of the Macedonian Army, as well as representativesof a number of political parties laid owers at Pelince too.

Within the framework of the Ilinden celebration, the 40th jubileeWorld Macedonian Gathering took place traditionally in the Bitolavillage of Trnovo organized by the Organization of Emigrants andthe World Macedonian Congress. Ilinden was celebrated in theMacedonian Diaspora as well.

FOREIGN MINISTER POPOSKI AT BERLIN WALL CONFERENCE

CELEBRATION OF ILINDEN

Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki participated in a roundtable atthe Conference 50 Years Since the Construction of the BerlinWall organized by the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation inSkopje on 23 August.

Minister Poposki highlighted in his address the pivotal valuesthat modern Europe is based upon, values that are at the same timethe most important factor in the friendship between Macedoniaand Germany openness, friendship, freedom and democracy- and expressed gratitude for the open and unwavering support

from Germany in accomplishing Macedonias strategic goals offull-edged membership of the EU and NATO.Minister Poposki met at the Conference with Peter Weiss,

Member of the German Bundestag and President of the Group forCooperation with the Countries of Southeast Europe.



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A hundred and twelve Macedonian language scholars, professorsof Macedonian language and literature, translators, Slavists andstudents of Macedonian language from 24 countries participatedin the work of the 44th International Seminar of MacedonianLanguage, Literature and Culture that took place in Ohrid from27 June to 12 July. e key events on which the Seminar and the38th international scholarly conference were dedicated, as SeminarDirector, Prof. Maksim Karanlovski stressed at the opening, were

the 90th anniversary of Blaze Koneskis birth and the 150th anni-versary of the Miladinov Brothers Folk Song Collection. Specialattention was also paid to the Macedonian lm, theater, history andarcheology. A subject of both meetings was also the works of PetreM. Andreevski, Kole Casule, Gane Todorovski, etc.

e International Seminar of Macedonian Language, Literature

and Culture was founded in end 1967. It is a functional part of theUniversity of Ss. Cyril and Methodius and its primary objective isthe studying of the Macedonian language, and its promotion in theworld. e Seminar realizes this goal through its ve basic activities,which implies organizing and taking care of the work of the lector-ates of Macedonian language in the world, the summer schools,the courses and the lectures, organizing Macedonian language andliterature conferences, organizing preparatory Macedonian languagecourses for foreign students, and publishing.

More than 3,000 participants from 45 countries have attendedthe 44 summer schools studying the Macedonian language, litera-ture, tradition and culture since the establishment of the Seminar,

including world-renowned Macedonian language scholars andSlavists that continued promoting the Macedonian language, cul-ture, literature and tradition in their own countries and globally.

e list is truly long to be included here.e number of lectorates at which the Macedonian language is

taught changed through the years. Eleven Macedonian language,literature and culture lectorates are operating in the world today Albania, Poland (Krakw and Sosnowiec), the Russian Federation,Romania, Turkey, Hungary, France, the Czech Republic (Brno andPrague) and Croatia - and their functioning has been regulated byinter-state or inter-university agreements.

e Macedonian language is studied at about ten other cent-ers in the world and is taught by teachers employed by the local

universities and language institutes. ere are such centers in theRussian Federation, Canada, Australia, the USA, Poland, Slovenia,Serbia, Germany, Ukraine, Slovakia and Croatia.

e beginnings of the interest in the Macedonian language goa long way back and unfortunately, are most oen associated with

the political situation in the Balkans. However, it is important tous that the interest of Slavists in Macedonia, the Macedonian dia-lects, literature and folklore dates back to the time of the founderof the Slavic studies, Josef Dobrovsk (1735-1829). However, the

beginnings of an organized studying of the Macedonian languageon an academic level are connected with the rst Macedonianlanguage lecture delivered at Charles University in Prague in 1946by Professor Antonn Frinta.

Unfortunately, in the last 20 years, the number of lectorateshas noted a declining trend. Although the reasons should also belooked for in the inappropriate normative regulations, developinga good strategy is perhaps more important. e issue of fundingthe lectorates 40,000 euros a year is being allocated for theirmaintenance as well as the lack of information both at homeand in the world about where the Macedonian language can bestudied, etc, is just as troublesome. With the faults being identied,

more and more are those suggesting that the relevant institutionsshould do more to improve the normative, organizational, andnancial regulation and coordination of the lectorates work andshould develop a common strategy and program for their betterfunctioning and further development.

e remarks oen heard deserve due attention in particularbecause of the fact that the studying of the Macedonian languageat home and primarily in the world is underscored also as animportant bearer of the identity and culture of the Macedonianpeople, as well as the realities in the Republic of Macedonia, tak-ing into account the process of preparation for integration of theRepublic of Macedonia into the structures of the European Unionand of the Macedonian language as the ocial language of an EUmember state.

THE MACEDONIAN LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD - LEARNING AND PROMOTION


XLIII Summer School of the International Seminarof Macedonian Language, Literature and Culture of the

SS. Cyril and Methodius University, Ohrid, 2010.

XXVII Summer School, Ohrid, 1994.

XLII Summer School, Ohrid, 2009.


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50th JUBILEE EDITION OFSTRUGA EVENINGS OF POETRY

e largest and the oldest international poetry event in Macedo-

nia, the Struga Evenings of Poetry, was held for the ieth time inStruga on 25-28 August. e opening ceremony was attended byMacedonian President Gjorge Ivanov. Culture Minister ElizabetaKanceska-Milevska spoke at the ceremony too.

is years jubilee edition, sponsored by UNESCO, was heldoutdoors for the rst time. Some 150 poets from record 70 countries,as well as about a hundred Macedonian poets participated in thefestival. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the publica-tion of the Collection of Folk Songs and Dimitar Miladinovs 200thbirthday, the refurbished Miladinov Brothers Memorial House waspromoted within the framework of the festival. Traditionally, thepoets portrait of this years winner of the Golden Garland Award

of the Struga Evenings of Poetry, Mateja Matevski, took place atthe Church of St. Soja in Ohrid. Expressing gratitude for the givenhonor, Matevski stressed in his address that the Struga Eveningsof Poetry celebrated the beauty and longevity of the poets wordand that his work constituted a modest share of the meeting ofpoets, which, he said had been on a noble mission for 50 years tobring sounds, languages and continents closer together in an all-encompassing brotherhood of creators and people.

e 50th edition of the festival ended with the poetry meet-ing Bridges and the presentation of the awards. Apart from theGolden Garland for academician Matevski, the Miladinov BrothersAward was presented to Vele Smilevski for best book of poetry bya Macedonian author between two festival editions for the booke Banned Book, and the Struga Bridges Award was presentedto Japanese poet Hiroshi Taniuchi for best debut book of poetryby a young foreign author.

e jubilee edition of the festival was the subject of a Portugueselm production by authors Soares and Santos. e monographabout the 50 years of the Struga Evenings of Poetry entitled eGolden Book on Struga by a renowned French publishing housewas also promoted.

Within the framework of the 50th edition of the festival, onthe plateau outside the Monastery of St. Andrea, at the heart ofthe Matka Canyon in Skopje, the traditional poetry matinee tookplace, at which a number of participants read their poems. e

closing event was held at Suli An in the Skopje Old Bazaar. isyears edition of the festival was special also because MacedonianPresident Gjorge Ivanov presented it with an Order of Merit forMacedonia for its outstanding results and signicant contributionto the promotion of the Republic of Macedonia in the world.

51st EDITION OF OHRIDSUMMER FESTIVAL TAKES PLACE

e 51st edition of the Ohrid Summer Festival, an event with long-

lasting tradition, exceptionally rich artistic relevance and privilegeto result from the ancient cultural history of the pearl city, tookplace in Ohrid from 12 July to 20 August.

e Festival oered an extensive artistic program with eventsthat drew much public interest, especially with the music and dramafans. Twenty-ve concerts and 10 theater plays were performedon ve dierent locations. ere were also six exhibitions and oneshowing of a lm. Events worth mentioning were the perform-ances of violin virtuoso Nigel Kennedy, Russian pianists Ghindinand Volodin, clarinetist Neidich, Stefan Milenkovi and VlatkoStefanovski, Duke Bojadziev, etc. e Ohrid National eatersproduction of Cabaret Misterioso had its premiere at the Festival.

Untitled by Josef Nag, Electra by Istarsko narodno kazalite, WinterTale produced by the Sfumato eater of Soa and e Marriageof Figaro, a production of the Macedonian National eater, werealso performed.

Over the years, the Ohrid Summer Festival established itselfas one of the most important cultural events in the Republic ofMacedonia and in parallel with that it managed to keep up withthe European and world cultural currents making itself part of theelite of the biggest and most important festivals in the world, inwhich many domestic and foreign musicians and theater compa-nies performed, including world-renowned names, such as ZubinMehta, Jos Carreras, Ennio Morricone, Mstislav Rostropovich, etc.



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U.S. EMBASSY IN MACEDONIACELEBRATES INDEPENDENCE DAY

On the occasion of 4 July, Independence Day, the US Embassyhosted the traditional reception on 1 July marking the 235th an-niversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. ereception was attended by numerous guests, including the Presidentof the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, Parliament SpeakerTrajko Veljanoski, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, ministers, MPs,members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the religiouscommunities, etc.

Speaking about the importance of 4 July to Americans as a cel-ebration of American ideals, Ambassador Reeker highlighted that2011 was a year of anniversaries both for the United States and forMacedonia.

FRENCH NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATEDOn 14 July, the National Day of the Republic of France was celebrated

with a reception at Kursumli An in Skopje. e Republic of Macedoniawas represented by several government ocials, including the DeputyPrime Minister for the Framework Agreement, Abdylaqim Ademi,Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki, Interior Minister GordanaJankuloska, Economy Minister Fatmir Besimi, Education MinisterNikola Todorov and Information Society and Administration Min-ister Ivo Ivanovski. e event was also attended by representatives ofthe diplomatic corps, the French community and the civil society.

French Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger welcomed theguests and delivered a speech in which he praised the good relationsbetween France and the Republic of Macedonia. Aer emphasizingthe historical importance of the moment for the country, in view

of the coming celebrations of its 20th anniversary of independenceand 10th anniversary of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, he saidhe wished Macedonia now took a decisive step towards Europeanintegration.

MDB would like to extend a warm welcomeand wish a successful mission in the Republic of Macedonia

to the Ambassadors

H.E. Mrs. Gudrun Elisabeth STEINACKER,Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal

Republic of Germany to the Republic of Macedonia

H.E. Mrs. Marrit SCHUURMAN,Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom

of the Netherlands to the Republic of Macedonia

MDB would like to thank the following ambassadorsfor their completed diplomatic mission

in the Republic of Macedonia

H.E. Mr. Peter SRENSEN,EU Ambassador, Special Representative of the European Unionand former Head of Delegation to the Republic of Macedonia

H.E. Mr. Philip RKER,

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiaryof the United States of America

H.E. Mrs. Simone FILIPPINI,Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

H.E. Mr. Ferenc KEKESI,Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

of the Republic of Hungary

H.E. Mr. Dariusz Karol BACHURA,Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

of the Republic of Poland

MDB would like to wish a successful missionto our colleagues

H.E. Mr. Enver ABDULAHI,Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

of the Republic of Macedonia to the Kingdom of Norway

Mr. Jakup REXHEPI,Consul General of the Republic of Macedonia to Chicago, USA

Ms. Mira KRAJACIK,Minister Counselor at the Embassy of the Republicof Macedonia in Copenhagen, Kingdom of Denmark

Ms. Verka MITANOVSKA,Minister Counselor at the Embassy of the Republic

of Macedonia in New Delhi, India

Ms. Vesna KRSTIK-ANDREEVSKA,First Secretary at the Embassy of the Republic

of Macedonia in Beijing, Peoples Republic of China

Ms. Elena GRABUL,Counselor at the Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia

in Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium

Ms. Biljana ARSOVSKA,Consular and Administrative Ocer at the Embassy of the

Republic of Macedonia in Rome, Italy

Ms. Ana RISTOVSKA,Consular and Administrative Ocer at the Embassy of the

Republic of Macedonia in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia


DIPLOMATICS CORPS SOCIAL EVENTS


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Doctor Kedev, at the beginning let me thank you that you ac-cepted to be interviewed or the Macedonian Diplomatic Bulletinat such short notice and without many ormalities. We are going

to talk about everything and o course least about politics. Youare a top Macedonian cardiologist and at the same time a pas-sionate mountaineer, who climbed the worlds highest mountainpeak Mount Everest on 19 May 2009, thus becoming the thirdMacedonian having conquered the roo o the world. What didit eel like to be, primarily, a man that climbed Mount Everest?Where is that passion o yours or acing extreme heights andthe dangers lurking on the way coming rom? Who is, in act,Sasko Kedev?

An ordinary man that loves and enjoys life, his profession andnature. Of course, my profession is set at the top of the hierarchyof my priorities. Interventional cardiology is what I am completelydedicated to and which is giving me enormous satisfaction anda feeling of completeness. Over the past few years, I was aordedthe opportunity of participating as lecturer and operator in about

30 international cardiology congresses and symposiums on fourcontinents (USA : Washington DC, Orlando, Aspen, San Francisco;South America: Santiago de Chile; Asia: Ahmedabad, India; Beirut,Lebanon; Europe: Paris, Brussels, Frankfurt, Milan, etc). However,I trust that every man that wishes to attain a feeling of complete-ness needs to supplement his life and give it additional meaning

with other activities, or hobbies, as well. Mountain climbing iswhat supplements my life and gives it more meaning. I would saythat risk and danger are the common denominators of my joband my hobby. However, although it is something I face and dealwith on a daily basis both at my job as interventional cardiologistand while climbing mountains, coping with danger is not thechallenge driving me. It is rather the desire to be part of natureand heights and also the chance to meet and learn about dierentcultures, traditions and religions. I believe that this dimension thatbroadens our horizons and perceptions has a strong impact alsoon our intellectual and spiritual growth. It helps us see mundanethings from a slightly dierent point of view. It makes us feel more

fullled, tolerant, and sympathetic refraining at the same timefrom passing judgments about anyone.

You are the rst Macedonian who in a unique mountaineeringenterprise climbed the highest peaks o all seven continents. Youare both a top specialist in your proession and most successulmountain climber among your ellow doctors. What is the secret?

Yes, I am the rst Macedonian that climbed all seven world peaks,although honestly I would not like to remain the only. I wouldlike to see as many mountaineers as possible living their dreamsbecause climbing any of the seven world peaks or all of them is notonly realization of a huge undertaking and personal satisfactionbut also promotion of our country. By climbing Carstensz Pyramid(West Papua), a peak that territorially belongs to the Australiancontinent, I completed and fully realized what I have set myself

Interview with Doctor Sasko Kedev

BEING THE BEST I CAN IN WHATEVER I DO IS MY DRIVING FORCE



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in my mountaineering plan. I had previously climbed Aconcagua(South America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Denali or Mount McKinley(North America), Mount Elbrus, Russia (Europe), Mount Wilson,South Pole (Antarctica) and Mount Everest, the Himalayas (Asia).

e secret of my success, if at all I can put it that way, is in thehigh criteria I have set myself and the complete dedication toboth my profession and mountain climbing. at is my drivingforce; being the best you that you can be in whatever you do inyour life, whether a professional occupation or a hobby. In that

regard, I would also stress the resolve to overcome all hindrancesand dilemmas every one of us faces on the way.

Let me ask you one question about the situation in the Macedo-nian healthcare in which reorms are actively being carried outwith the aim o making it more ecient. What do you think othe reorms the aim o which is modernizing the Macedonianhealthcare?

e healthcare is a very delicate sector in any country. No healthsystem is ideal, not even those of the worlds most developedeconomies. Reforms are being carried out everywhere with theaim of bridging the gap between the always rising needs and theeconomic limitations. And so is the situation in Macedonia, as acountry with limited economic capacities yet with health issuesthat any economically developed country has. I believe the cur-rent situation in the Macedonian healthcare is a reection of theentire economic situation in the country. On the whole, the leveland quality do not lag behind the economic capacities. In certainsegments I believe the quality of certain health services even sur-passes the economic capacities. e greater autonomy of hospitalsand the introduction of the DRG (diagnostically related group)

system helped shape a clearer picture of how much work is beingdone and where, and of what the priorities and responsibilities are.e bigger investments in modern equipment and technologieshave already resulted in health services of better quality and ina possibility to keep up with the latest trends in world medicine.

On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Aairs, the Macedonian Dip-lomatic Bulletin wishes our colleague Gordana Jankovska happyretirement days, with a sincere hope that her younger colleaguesremember and learn from her abundant experience and knowledge.

We take this opportunity once again to wish Gordana happyand very much deseved retirement days.

Gordana has been at the Ministry of Foreign Aairs since 1988upon serving at the Secretariat for Foreign Economic Relations.What we are all going to remember her for is her engagement atthe then newly founded European Union Department, now Di-rectorate (since 1996). Over the past 15 years, Gordana has beena head of division or director, both functions equivalent to a headof sector. e years until her retirement she was Head of the Sectorfor Preparations of Negotiations. In the period during which theSector was establishing itself, she went through a number of trainingcourses and seminars organized by EU member states or the FARE

Program. As a good connoisseur of the situation and mechanisms,she took active part in and contributed to the process of harmo-nization of the Republic of Macedonia with the European Union.She was also a member of the negotiating team of the Republic of

Macedonia for concluding the Agreement on Cooperation betweenthe Macedonian Government and the European Commission;an active member in establishing institutions in the Republic ofMacedonia that were going to cooperate with the European Unionand in training sta for working on the countrys integration; anda member of the negotiating team of the Republic of Macedoniain concluding the Stabilization and Association Agreement withthe European Union.

In the course of her work, she focused particularly on makinganalyses of Macedonias foreign economic and trade relationsand on organizing international events hosted by the Ministry ofForeign Aairs.

COLLEAGUE GORDANA JANKOVSKA RETIRES



16/16

AMBASSADOR DIMITROV DELIVERS LECTUREAT WEBSTER UNIVERSITY IN LEIDEN

At the invitation of Dr. Peter van Krieken, International Law Pro-fessor, Nikola Dimitrov, Macedonian Ambassador to the Kingdomof the Netherlands, delivered a lecture at Webster University inLeiden, a USA University with campuses and studies in the USA,the Netherlands, Switzerland, Great Britain, Austria, ailand andChina. In the focus of the lecture entitled Naming and Blamingwas the genesis of the name issue with Greece, the NATO Sum-mit in Bucharest and the lawsuit regarding the application of theInterim Accord of 1995 between Macedonia and Greece beforethe International Court of Justice. e lecture was held in front ofsome 40 international law postgraduates from 15 countries (mostof them from the USA).

PERFORMANCE OF MACEDONIAN BRASSQUARTET IN USA

As part of the realization of the Summer Program of the Ministryof Culture of the Republic of Macedonia in the USA, four Mac-

edonian musicians, members of a brass quarter Ilinka Velkova(ute), Goce Talevski (ute), Maja Canacijevic (English horn)and Dragan Mladenoski (trumpet) performed at the stage ofEnsemble Studio eater in New York on 5 August.

e artists from Macedonia presented themselves also witha few compositions inspired by famous old Macedonian songsadapted for classical music performance.

PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONALFOLKLORE FESTIVAL

e culture and art ensemble Ilinden of Bitola took part in the37th edition of the International Folklore Festival in the Swiss city

of Freeburg performing traditional authentic Macedonian musicand folklore. At the Festival, which took place on 16-21 August,culture and art ensembles from Argentina, Costa Rica, Indonesia,Lithuania, Peru, Slovakia and Antigua and Barbuda participated too.

EXHIBITION OF PICTURES IN SEECPMEMBER STATESWithin the framework of the activities of the Montenegrin Chair-manship of the regional initiative South East European CooperationProcess (SEECP), at the Gallery of the Art Museum of Montenegroin Cetinje, an exhibition of paintings entitled Individual PoeticsModern Art in the Member States of the South East European

Cooperation Process between the Two World Wars took placefrom 28 June to 30 July 2011.A total of 29 paintings from 10 countries of SEE (Macedonia,

Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia,Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey and Albania) were exhibited. e Repub-lic of Macedonia presented itself with three paintings A NudeWoman, oil on canvas by Lazar Licenoski; Women Harvesting,oil on plywood by Dimitar Avramovski; and Two Girls, oil oncanvas by Nikola Martinoski.

MACEDONIAN WATER POLO SCORES SUCCESS

e Macedonian university water polo team won the bronze medalat the World University Games in Shenzhen, China. is is oneof the greatest successes of the Macedonian team sport and therst medal from such a big sporting event. Macedonian PresidentGjorge Ivanov congratulated on the phone the Macedonian waterpolo team and the technical sta on their remarkable success andexcellent promotion of the Republic of Macedonia.

THE DAY OF THE DIPLOMATAs Ambassador of the Republic of Mac-edonia to the Republic of Bulgaria, I amgoing to convey in the Diplomatic Diarycolumn some of my activities at theopening of the rst event of the Culturaland Information Center of the Republicof Macedonia in Soa following the un-

timely death of its Director, Ms. DostaDimovska, Minister Counselor at theEmbassy. It was Macedonian ne artistReshat Ahmetis exhibition.

at night, the Art Gallery of theNational Palace of Culture in Soa wasswarming with people. ere were distinguished scholars, artists,as well as ordinary citizens from Bulgaria and Macedonia.

Aer the speeches of poet Kletnikov and Director Drumev aboutthe artistic values of the works of the author and my proclamationof the exhibit as opened, the guests continued standing in silence.ey missed Ms Dimovskas traditional, tame, sincere, balanced

and inspiring speech through which she imbued these events witha special tone and spirit. Everyone was happy that we continued therealization of the program she dened convinced that in that waywe can best express our lasting gratitude and everybody expectedus to convey our thoughts to her at that very moment.

And so it happened. rough my last greeting to Ms. Dimovska,we thanked her that immediately upon taking oce she dedicatedherself completely to promoting the cultural exchange between thetwo countries and managed to realize numerous and rich culturalevents with modest funding; that she made indelible contributionto the presentation of the cultural achievements of Macedonians tothe Bulgarian public, which became increasingly more talked andwritten about; that she managed in that way to narrow down thespace for reports and commentaries only about negative events inboth countries qualied as hate speech something that wasemphasized as a very positive new moment also by Bulgarian Presi-dent Georgi Parvanov during his recent meeting with MacedonianPresident Gjorge Ivanov.

at was an occasion to express deep sadness over the realiza-tion that her early death separated her forever from her endlessand committed work at the Center and the Embassy and from herassociates and friends, as well as her family; an occasion to remindourselves that she had never given in to hardship and did all shecould to protect her associates, friends and family. She le quietlythe way she lived and worked.

at was an occasion for reminding ourselves that she was aphilosopher by vocation, a poetess, a politician and above all ahuman being radiating positive energy, virtue, sacrice, vision, self-discipline and high professionalism and responsibility; that duringher years of service she lled a number of high-ranking state andparty oces, as one of the most prominent and most remarkablegures in the Macedonian political arena; and that she had alwaysset herself as an example to her associates and fellow party membersas to how they should handle their work responsibilities, treat oneanother, promote the interests of their country and behave towardpeople in general.

at was an occasion to remember that with her work at the

Center and the Embassy, she has made priceless contribution to thedevelopment of cooperation and relations between Macedoniansand Bulgarians not only culturally but also politically.

Blagoj HANDZISKIAmbassador of the Republic of Macedonia to Soa

DIPLOMATIC DIARY

macedonian diplomatic bulletin no. 51-52

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