Ethnic problems in FYROM
Panayiotis
"And Macedonia, of course, is a part of Greece."
(Strabo VII, Frg. 9 [Loeb, H.L. Jones])
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Biljali: Macedonia's ethnic balance at risk
08/06/2009
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/articles/2009/06/08/reportage-01
Former parliament member Mersel Biljali co-founded the Citizens for European
Macedonia initiative and now writes a column for Dnevnik. He spoke to
SETimes about interethnic relations, the Macedonia name issue and the road
ahead.
By Marina Stojanovska for Southeast European Times in Skopje -- 08/06/09
Progress made since 2001 is being reversed, argues former MP Mersel
Biljali.
Southeast European Times: Where do you think the interethnic climate in
Macedonia is heading?
Mersel Biljali: Ethnic relations are heading in a poor direction. I think
there is a trend of losing trust in the government among Albanians, which
was demonstrated during the presidential elections when the largest part of
the Albanian public boycotted the vote. A feeling has developed among the
Albanians that the government favours one ethnic, one cultural and one
religious group.
This is not good, given that after the events in 2001, there was a dynamic
period in the settlement of ethnic problems. It brought increased ethnic
trust and shared stability, which resulted in EU candidate status for
Macedonia.
If you have a feeling that only one ethnic community is favoured, it is
normal that discontent will emerge among the others, and this will
eventually harm the interests of everyone in the state. We are going
backward instead of forward, especially with the so-called
"antiquisation" -- that is, the process of renaming the airport and main
highway after Alexander the Great, and the plan to place a grandiose
monument on the public square. It is a bad practise, as history has shown
multiple times.
SETimes: Gostivar Mayor Rufi Osmani and DPA leader Menduh Tachi say that the
Ohrid Agreement is no longer functioning and that there is a need for a new
agreement between the Albanians and Macedonians. What are your thoughts?
Biljali: I think this opinion arises from the feelings of neglect among the
Albanians . It is as though we are going back to an old film in which the
Albanians were always dissatisfied, asking for something, and the
Macedonians had to give them what they want. Instead of going ahead, we are
moving backwards. And there is one more thing: the situation is polarising
among the Albanian parties as well. While the Gostivar mayor and the DPA
leader say that Macedonia needs a new agreement, the ruling DUI says the
Ohrid Agreement is the right framework for developing the state. It is
normal for it to say that, because this party is responsible for the
Agreement. I think this [political] game is very dangerous.
SETimes: How do you think the ongoing name dispute is affecting the
relationship among NATO, the EU and Macedonia? What about the Albanian
parties' call for a quick solution?
Ethnic Albanians place more importance on EU and NATO membership than
on the Macedonia name issue.
Biljali: The Albanian parties clearly and publicly showed their
understanding with regard to the name issue. But this problem has continued
for a long time. Following the Bucharest Summit, we have a changed
situation, in which we went from being a regional leader to being shut out
of NATO membership -- in contrast to Albania and Croatia.
Now there are two diametrically opposed groups in this state. One is the
Albanian community, which asks for NATO and EU membership regardless of the
price, and another are the Macedonians, for whom NATO and EU membership is
important, but not as important as the name of the state. I think that among
Albanians, the prevalent view is that the government lacks the will to
resolve this problem.
SETimes: Do you expect the name dispute negotiations to intensify now that
Gjorge Ivanov is in office and the European Parliament elections in Greece
are over?
Bilajli: We are witness to great international pressure for the resolution
of this issue. The government has the objective task of solving all issues,
especially with the election of the new president ... Time is no longer our
ally -- there is a need for clever and brave decisions. I think that the
negotiations can intensify now, but the prime minister still has the main
word. I'm not certain he wants a solution.
SETimes: The announcement that the church in the middle of Skopje will be
rebuilt after it was destroyed in the 1962 earthquake has prompted calls to
also rebuild the Burmali Mosque. How will this affect our multiethnic
society?
Biljali: It is certain this situation will not have a positive influence,
but rather will polarise things further, as has already been seen in some
ways. See, in a multiethnic society you have to be very careful when you
announce renovations, especially of religious buildings, because you can't
favour only one ethnic group.
In this case there are two different opinions. The first -- representing, I
believe, the majority of Albanians and other non-Orthodox citizens, as well
as many among the Orthodox as well -- is that there is no need for any
religious building in the centre of Skopje. The second comes from supporters
of the Burmali Mosque, who follow the logic of "let them build the church,
because then we'll build the mosque". Building only one of the
aforementioned sites could have a big impact.
SETimes: You helped initiate the Citizens for European Macedonia, and you
speak around the country about the meaning of the EU and NATO. How much do
you think Macedonian citizens know about NATO and the EU?
Biljali: They know a lot, and they are supporting this process -- as has
been shown in all the polls so far. However, I think that the populist
politics of this government creates some confusion, [suggesting] Macedonia
can exist without NATO and the EU. I think time will show that it isn't so.