It is my special honour
and privilege to address this important forum and to
share with the Assembly the positions of the Republic
of Macedonia regarding current issues on the United
Nations agenda.
First, allow me to congratulate His Excellency
Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his
election to the prestigious position of President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, and to
congratulate the previous President, Mr. Joseph Deiss,
on his remarkably successful presidency at the sixty-
fifth session. I also take this opportunity to
congratulate Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his
reappointment, confident that he will continue to work
devotedly to realize the noble objectives of the United
Nations.
The Republic of Macedonia recently celebrated
the twentieth anniversary of its independence. We have
faced many challenges and temptations, including
achieving a peaceful declaration of independence, the
introduction of a new political system with due respect
for democratic values and human rights and freedoms,
transforming our economic system and then dealing
with many social problems, establishing ourselves as a
responsible and active member of the international
community, and shouldering the additional burden of
various requirements and conditions.
Throughout this time, the Republic of Macedonia
has had the United Nations as a partner. Based on
lessons learned over the past 20 years, my country is
particularly conscious of the value of mediation in the
peaceful settlement of conflicts. Macedonia welcomes
the timely and wise decision to make the role of
mediation in the settlement of disputes by peaceful
means the focus of this year’s debate.
The majority of conflicts do not happen
overnight; they are predictable and offer realistic
opportunities for effective diplomatic efforts to prevent
them. Such cases offer the chance of incurring the
lowest cost in every way. While we affirm the
sovereignty of States, we must take into consideration
that there are moments when a State or States need
mediation services, with impartiality and willingness
on the part of the mediators to understand the thrust of
the issues and to help all parties concerned resolve
their problems in a mutually acceptable and
satisfactory manner before they can escalate in an
unwanted direction.
The Millennium Development Goals remain the
parameters we need to evaluate our success. Regardless
of the serious consequences of the global economic
crisis, our commitment to achieving the Millennium
Development Goals must not weaken. The greatest
crises occur as a result of a lack of vision and
dedication. Turning a blind eye to problems or finding
excuses to justify a lack of action to achieve our goals
will only increase the price to be paid in future; and
that will not be calculated merely in dollars or euros,
but also in the most valuable and priceless asset:
human lives.
One challenge that requires an immediate and
long-term solution is the issue of climate change. It is
alarming that, precisely as a result of climate change
caused by human activity, entire nations and States
face uncertainty on a daily basis. Although the
Republic of Macedonia has experienced the adverse
effects of climate change in a less dramatic way, it
wishes to express its solidarity with the countries that
are most exposed to the phenomenon.
In recent times, we have witnessed numerous
conflicts and the disturbance of peace and security in
various regions of the world. The democratic
awakening, especially the so-called Arab Spring, has
shown us once more that democracy cannot be
imposed; it can be derived only from the people’s
rejection of dictatorships and regimes that are in
conflict with the popular interest, and from respect for
basic human rights, universal freedoms and the rule of
law.
Old and frozen conflicts remain a global
challenge. The problem of the abuse of programmes
intended for the peaceful use of nuclear energy has not
yet been solved. Terrorism and extreme hunger caused
by conflicts are only two of the numerous challenges to
which it is imperative that we find immediate solutions
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aimed at improving security at the global and regional
levels.
Human beings must be the focus of our attention,
especially in national policy and, of course, in
multilateral actions. There is no greater value than
human life, human dignity and the right to individual
development, prosperity and happiness. Humankind
requires action that transforms our declarations and
good intentions into deeds. When we ask for that moral
imperative from the United Nations, we are practicing
what we preach. The Republic of Macedonia will
continue to be an active participant in the realization of
our common objectives.
There are many words I could use to describe my
country, and each and every one would fit perfectly in
its own manner. But to begin with, I choose only one,
and I am convinced that it describes the essence of my
country and my people and accurately illustrates all the
efforts and strength we have summoned in order to
overcome the challenges of our recent history. It
clearly describes the patience with which we have
faced every obstacle imposed on us, and which we
have overcome and continue to overcome, at the
economic and institutional level, simply by asserting
our own identity and self-recognition. These obstacles
have been imposed not because of anything we have
done, but simply because of who we are and the fact
that we exist. That word is “responsibility”.
Macedonia has acted responsibly. Our country’s
independence was won through a history that cannot be
called merciful. It rests on the great sacrifice of many
lives and broken dreams. Yet our past is not the only
reason why we act responsibly. We Macedonians
believe that we have a European future and that we can
leave a great legacy for generations to come. That is
precisely why today we in Macedonia are trying to
create a broad base of support and to unify all of our
strength and potential around the bold idea of
Macedonia as a regional leader in economic reform,
education, investment, technology and innovation; in
protection of the environment and of human rights and
freedoms; and in all areas of modern life. Knowing the
great awareness and responsibility of my people — and
citing the example of country’s response to the global
economic crisis, when our solidarity was not shaken
and we came through it all without major problems —
I am convinced that our unity will succeed.
When speaking of Macedonia, however, we
cannot fail to mention another great characteristic that
has remained with us over thousands of years. As our
inheritance from ancient times, this characteristic has
helped us to retain our cosmopolitanism — the ideal
that has enabled us to maintain a functional
multiculturalism. Side by side, throughout the
centuries, different cultures, religions and nations have
coexisted in my country. While many Europeans deem
that astonishing and unique, for us Macedonians that
has been the situation for centuries. We aim for
incorporation into the dominant culture, without any
assimilation or disintegration. Unlike many others
who, afraid for their own national myth, try to suppress
differences, we are proud of them and consider them
our treasure.
Our system is not perfect, and we have many
issues to resolve. Macedonia is on the verge of a great
transformation, which will not happen overnight. We,
like every other nation in the world, have the right to
an identity and to unite around our own national myth.
In our myth, there is a place for Macedonians,
Albanians, Turks, Roma, Serbs, Vlachs, Bosniaks and
others. There is a place for all who accept the virtues of
non-violence, justice, coexistence and cultural
competitiveness. Chauvinism has never been dominant
among our people. The constitutional amendments of
1993 and the change in our flag showed our goodwill,
openness and cooperativeness. However, our sense of
responsibility and our maturity should not be
considered as weaknesses, nor should they be a reason
for continuous abuse from anyone, because we have
dignity and pride. We know who we are and how we
will live. We are Macedonians, we speak Macedonian,
and our country’s name is the Republic of Macedonia.
As Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia,
I would be remiss if I were to neglect the issue of our
name and identity and our southern neighbour’s
objection to both. I mention this not only because of
my position and obligation to the people of the
Republic of Macedonia, but also because it relates in
many ways directly to the issue of the peaceful
resolution of conflict and the role that mediation plays.
We do not like being in the position of having our
name and identity opposed by one country, and we
certainly did not ask for it. But reality is often cold,
hard and brutal. The fact is that our southern neighbour
objects to both our name and identity; its objection has
become our problem, and a dispute has arisen that is
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unique in the world. It is imposed on the basis of the
need of one country, our neighbour, to monopolize two
names, and its strategic determination that we should
not exist as we feel ourselves to be.
Imagine the state that my citizens find themselves
in — blackmailed, with their development and
prospects jeopardized, blocked by our southern
neighbour from joining euro-Atlantic institutions, just
because of what we are and what we feel like. I
personally, and literally all of the citizens of my
country, cannot believe that we have been put in a
situation where we have to resolve a dispute that was
artificially created and absurd. I believe that it is also
utterly incomprehensible to all present. I would ask
participants in this meeting to imagine, just for a
moment, that they are in our shoes, to consider how
they would feel if someone demanded they not be
French, German, British, American, Russian, Chinese,
Nigerian, Japanese, Argentine, Uruguayan or Kenyan,
for instance. That is the only thing I ask, the only thing
I plead for. I ask for support to end this, to allow us to
be what we are. We hurt no one and inflict damage on
no one. We have understanding, tolerance and respect
for our neighbours and friends and for everyone. We
have respect for the neighbour with which we are
having this dispute and an understanding of its fears.
We have no pretensions, nor do we have any intention
of monopolizing the name Macedonia.
Please help us to be proud and dignified and to
avoid a solution that would break us. We seek a
solution that will not harm our spirit and a name that
will recognize our commitment, desire and
determination for coexistence, community,
individuality and identity as well as our sense of
belonging to the world — this world that we are
building, whose virtues we are establishing and whose
future we are fighting for. Macedonians are a peaceful
people and are working, with mediation, to resolve the
dispute with our neighbour in a peaceful manner.
In a speech to the Parliament of the Republic of
Macedonia on 31 August 2001, our late President,
Boris Trajkovski, said:
“We demand that the international
community recognize us by our name — the
Republic of Macedonia — and not by a fictional
derivative. It is high time that the world
recognizes us by what we call ourselves, just like
any other country and its citizens. Otherwise,
how do you expect us to believe in your values,
principles and intentions if you deny our basic
right, the right to identity?”
Fortunately, 131 countries around the world have
made a choice to recognize us by what we call
ourselves — the Republic of Macedonia — and for that
we thank them. We thank them for their principled
position and consistency in the values of protection of
the rights and principles established by the United
Nations itself. Unfortunately, the rules of the world are
such that we cannot be called by what we call
ourselves in this very body. Nor can we join
organizations we have worked hard to become
members of, and, in the case of NATO and the
European Union, have earned a right to be a part of.
This, frankly, is wrong. There is no other word for it.
What others choose to do about it — their behaviour —
is entirely up to them.
It is a great honour and great privilege to address
this body. All of us are leaders of our people and all of
us represent them to the best of our abilities. But we
must recommit ourselves as leaders to our own peoples
first, and to the peoples of this world second. If we do
that, we can survive, we can succeed and we can build
a better world for ourselves, our children, our
grandchildren and for future generations, which,
ultimately is what each and every one of us wants.