Marked 16 Years by Ohrid Agreement

This contract of both peoples became possible after the armed conflict, which took place in 2001. The agreement was realised with the help of the international Community, which made its contribution to political solutions to the interethnic crisis in the IRJM.

The role of the International Community for disrupting conflict and reaching the political agreement was irreplaceable. Since the war developments in the IRJM, the European Union and the United States sent their representatives: Francois Leotard and James Perdew, as a mediator for achieving peace.

After struggling negotiations with the confrontationd parties, they prepared the so-called “Framework Document Draft, which on July 7th 2001, they handed over to the four leaders, participants in the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and President Trajkovski.

During the development of negotiations in Ohrid, the Albanian political factor started with Euro-Western positions. It came up, not with demands for territorial division, but for full ethnic equality, which was in line with EuroWestern principles. In fact, the multiethnic character of Macedonian society was required to be reflected in the state arrangement.

Meanwhile, the Macedonian side held exclusive positions by rejecting the demand reflecting society's objective diversity in the state concept. Or in other words, as the Macedonian side aimed to control the national rights of Albanians, the Albanian side did not interfere with the Macedonian rights Corps. The end of Albanian-Macedonian negotiations was the Ohrid Framework Agreement.

At the moment that the Ohrid negotiations were expected to end, specific nationalist, government and non-government circles began to issue reckless statements, which triggered strong reactions from international representatives.

These statements were trying to undermine the political process and draft agreement drafted by international experts. But the international deployment centres let the Macedonian side know that: <x0 best way out, except for the reconciliation and signing of this document, there is no”.

Albanian-Macedonian negotiations in Ohrid lasted about ten days and ended on August 13, 2001. Under international pressure, the Albanian-Macedonian conflict ended with the Ohrid Framework Agreement.

It was signed in Skopje by Albanian and Macedonian representatives participating in the expanded government coalition: Lupco Georgievski, Arben Xhaferi, Branko Crvenkovski and Imer Imer. The president of state, Boris Trajkovski and the Euro-American mediators, Leotard and Perdew signed the agreement.

The Ohrid Framework Agreement included ten key points:

1. Basic principles;
2. Cutting off hostility;
3. Development of decentralised power;
4. Disjudgment and just representation;
5. Special assembly procedures;
6. Education and use of languages;
7. ID expression;
8. Implementation;
9. Anexet; and
10. Final details.