On the occasion of his presentation of credentials to His Majesty King William Alexander of the Netherlands, the Ambassador of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, H.E. Mr. Roberto Calzadilla Sarmiento hosted a concert with the renowned Bolivian guitarist Pirai Vaca, which took place at the embassy premises in The Hague.
H.E. Mr. Roberto Calzadilla, Ambassador of the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
It was a unique occasion to listen to Bolivian music from a very famous artist to celebrate Ambassador Calzadilla’s return to The Hague. He is a career diplomat serving as ambassador in the Netherlands from 2008 until 2013. That year he was appointed as ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Previous to his posting in the Netherlands, he served as Bolivia’s ambassador to Portugal, in charge of Asia, America, Africa, Oceania and of the Department of Summits at the Bolivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bolivian guitarist Pirai Vaca.
Between 2000 and 2004, he served as a Permanent Representative to the United Nations International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Ambassador Calzadilla was one of six ambassadors founders of Diplomat Magazine Netherlands.
The concert was very well attended with ambassadors and authorities celebrating his return to the Hague.
By H.E. Mr. Alexander Shulgin,Ambassador of the Russian Federation in the Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Russian Embassy in the Netherlands pays particular attention to the maintenance of «The Soviet Field of Honor», the only Soviet memorial complex in the Netherlands, in good order. The remains of 865 Soviet soldiers who died during World War Two in various parts of the Netherlands and in Germany are buried there.
«The Soviet Field of Honor» was officially opened on November 18, 1948. Originally, 101 Soviet soldiers who had died in the nearby concentration Camp Amersfoort were buried there. All of them were mainly from Central Asia (Uzbekistan). The Germans had captured and brought them to the Netherlands in September 1941 to convince the Dutch to join their side in the battle against the USSR. Despite that the Nazis bullied and tortured them, the will of the brave Soviet soldiers was not broken. When the Germans realized that their plan had failed, the prisoners were shot.
«The Soviet Field of Honor».
After the war the remains of other 764 Soviet soldiers who found their final resting place far away from their home were also transferred to «The Soviet Field of Honor».
I would like to stress that the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands closely follow the development on «The Soviet Field of Honor». Despite the logistical difficulties that arose from the spread of coronavirus infection in the Netherlands, I am pleased to announce that the phased replacement of all the 865 gravestones (planned for the period from 2019 to 2021), was successfully completed on time. One of the reasons for this was the necessity to put the new recovered data on the gravestones of the Soviet soldiers, and to comply with the relevant provisions of the legislation of the Netherlands, according to which gravestones must be replaced every 60 years.
The new stones are almost identical in size with the old ones. Most of them are engraved with the name, surname, date of birth and death of a fallen Red Army soldier.
I’m pleased to inform you this project was financed jointly by the Russian and the Dutch side, the Embassies of countries – former Soviet Union republics, with the involvement of the private investors. In particular, The Russian Federation has allocated 300,000 euros for the three year period (2019-2021).
«The Soviet Field of Honor», the only Soviet memorial complex in the Netherlands.
The Russian Embassy in the Netherlands annually holds commemorative events on the territory of «The Soviet Field of Honor» memorial complex, including the celebration of Defender of the Motherland Day (February 23) and the Great Patriotic War Victory Day (May 9). We intend to continue to provide all possible assistance in preserving and maintaining the memorial complex «The Soviet Field of Honor» in excellent condition.
Statement of the President of the International Criminal Court, Judge Piotr Hofmański, on the occasion of Human Rights Day 2021
The Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights begins with a profound statement: that recognizing the dignity and equal rights of all humans “is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”.
These words resonate as strongly today as they did 73 years ago, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. There can be no justice without respect for human rights – and, conversely, justice is essential to the protection of human rights.
The Universal Declaration further recalls that “disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind”.
The crimes addressed by the ICC – genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression – are examples of just such acts. The essence of the ICC’s mandate is to ensure that such heinous crimes do not go unpunished, and that victims can receive redress for the harm they have suffered.
But the ICC cannot secure accountability on its own. The Court needs cooperation and support of States to investigate crimes, prosecute suspected perpetrators, and provide justice to victims. And, in the first place, investigations and trials should always be conducted by national authorities, while the ICC is a court of last resort.
Through these principles of cooperation and complementarity, the ICC system – currently comprising 123 States – contributes to the prevention of future crimes by demonstrating that perpetrators will be held accountable; either in national courts, or failing that, in the ICC.
To ensure equal protection for people everywhere, more States should join the ICC’s Rome Statute. To deter atrocities. To protect one’s own and other citizens from crimes. And to give hope to victims everywhere in the world that a path to justice does exist.
Together, we can build a more just world, with dignity and human rights for all.
A new Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) was elected on December six, for a three-year mandate (2021 – 2024) at the opening of the 20th session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The newly elected members of the Board of Directors represent each of five regional groups: Sheikh Mohammed Belal (Bangladesh), representing Asia-Pacific group, Minou Josefina Tavárez Mirabal (Dominican Republic), representing Latin American and Caribbean States Parties, Andres Parmas (Estonia), representing Eastern European States Parties, Kevin Kelly (Ireland), representing Western European and Other Group States, and Ibrahim Sorie Yillah (Sierra Leone), representing African States Parties.
H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Bangladesh.
The new Board held its first meeting on 7 December 2021 and unanimously elected Minou Josefina Tavárez Mirabal as the new Chair of the Board of Directors. For the first time, the Board also appointed a Vice-Chair, Ibrahim Yillah.
Newly elected TFV Board of Director from left to right:
Sheik Mohammed Belal (Bangladesh) Chair Minou Josefina Tavárez Mirabal ( Dominican Republic) Andres Parmas (Estonia) Kevin Kelly ( Ireland) and vice Chair, Ibrahim Yillah (Sierra Leone).
The new Board Chair, Ms Tavárez Mirabal said, “It is a great honour and privilege for the new members of the TFV Board of Directors to serve the victims of crimes defined in the Rome Statute. We thank the States Parties for the trust they placed upon us. We are mindful of the challenges as well as the opportunities that may arise but we are confident that these will strengthen the impact of the Trust Fund for Victims and the Rome Statute system. I thank my colleagues for entrusting me with this responsibility to lead the Board. Together with my fellow Board members and the TFV Secretariat, we will continue the works that were started by the previous Board of Directors and chaired by the late and always missed Felipe Michelini and by Mama Koité Doumbia. The new Board will work tirelessly to expand the TFV’s reach and to increase reparations and assistance programmes, enhance partnerships, raise awareness on the rights of victims and survivors ofatrocitycrimes, and ensure transparency as well as accountability to the States Parties, to the donors of the TFV, and most importantly, to the victims and survivors of crimes whom we serve.”
The Vice Chair, Mr Yillah said: “Advancing the voice of victims is at the heart of the Rome Statute System. I am delighted to be elected to the Board of the Trust Fund for Victims to fulfil this core mandate of the Rome Statute. I am humbled to contribute to this noble cause.”
On behalf of the TFV Secretariat, TFV Executive Director, Pieter de Baan said, “I congratulate Ms Tavárez Mirabal, Mr Belal, and Mr Parmas on their re-election as Board members, and I am honoured to welcome new members Mr Kelly and Mr Yillah who will bring to the TFV their extensive background in a wide range of fields including international criminal law, development, visibility and governance. The TFV is only stronger by the diversity and experience of its Board members and the new members’ experiences will undoubtedly be a tremendous asset to the TFV. We look forward to continuing our engagement with the new Board to strengthen the TFV’s works and to achieve our goals together.”
H.E. Mr. Kevin Kelly, Ireland.
The biographies of the new Board of Directors of the TFV are available on the TFV Website.
TFV Board of Directors (2021 – 2024):
– Minou Tavárez Mirabal (Dominican Republic) representing Latin American and Caribbean States – Chair;
– Ibrahim Yillah (Sierra Leone) representing African States – Vice Chair;
– Sheikh Mohammed Belal (Bangladesh) representing Asia – Pacific States;
– Andres Parmas (Estonia) representing Eastern European States;
– Kevin Kelly (Ireland) representing Western European and Other States.
Monday, 29 November 2021, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany: Hamburg’s First Mayor, Dr. Peter Tschentscher welcomed the Dutch Ambassador to Germany, Ronald van Roeden for his inaugural visit to the city-state after having been accredited to Berlin on 1 September 2021.
The bilateral meeting that took place at Hamburg’s historic City Hall focused on the trade between Hamburg and The Netherlands normally carried out between the ports of Hamburg and the one of Rotterdam, the implementation of sustainable energies as well as educational exchanges.
In the framework of his visit to Hamburg Ambassador van Roeden likewise paid a call upon Senator Michael Westhagemann, President of the Authority for Economy and Innovation, and visited the Hamburger Kunsthalle (Hamburg Art Hall).
Ronald van Roeden was born 1957 in Hilversum, The Netherlands, is Royal Dutch Ambassador in the Federal Republic of Germany since Wednesday, 1 September 2021 upon his presentation of letters of credence before Federal President Dr. Steinmeier. He entered the diplomatic career in 1985, and has served in Iraq, Paris (OECD mission), Norway (with co-accreditation to Iceland), and before the European Union (Deputy Permanent Representative). Van Roeden speaks Dutch, German, French as well as English.
Friday, 3 December 2021, Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia: NRW Premier Hendrik Wüst received the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey, Ahmet Başar Şen, for an inaugural visit to the State Chancellery of NRW after his formal accreditation to Germany that took place on 1 September 2021. He was accompanied by the Turkish Consul General in Düsseldorf, Ayşegül Gökçen Karaarslan.
For the first official part of the visit, Ambassador Ahmet Başar Şen signed the guest book of the state government NRW. In the subsequent conversation, Premier Wüst and Ambassador Şen exchanged views on the bilateral relations between North Rhine-Westphalia and Turkey.
Premier Hendrik Wüst: “Turkey is of particular importance for North Rhine-Westphalia. 60 years after the conclusion of the German-Turkish recruitment agreement, more than 900,000 citizens of Turkish origin have their home here. They are an important part of our identity and contribute to the fact that North Rhine-Westphalia and Turkey are connected in many ways in business, science, civil society and culture. North Rhine-Westphalia therefore also has a great interest in a democratic, economically prosperous Turkey based on the rule of law. We agree that dialogue must be sought, especially on critical issues.”
Relations between North Rhine-Westphalia and Turkey Approximately 488,000 people of Turkish origin and approximately 934,000 people of Turkish origin live in North Rhine-Westphalia. Of the approximately 1.5 million Turks in Germany, one in three lives in North Rhine-Westphalia. There are numerous and diverse civil society, economic, scientific and cultural ties between North Rhine-Westphalia and Turkey. For example, Turkey is a priority country in the area of International Youth Exchange of the NRW Child and Youth Promotion Plan. With over 13,000 students in the winter semester 2020/2021, the largest group of foreign students at North Rhine-Westphalian universities comes from Turkey. And there are also many ties between Turkey and North Rhine-Westphalia in the field of business: Almost 40 percent of all Turkish companies in Germany are located in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Thurday, 25 November 2021, Paris, French Republic: In the French capital, the President of the German Federal Council (Bundesrat) Bodo Ramelow met his counterpart Gérard Larcher, President of the Senate of the French Republic, at the Senate’s official residence.
With his trip, Ramelow accepted an invitation by the Senate President Larcher, and continued on the footsteps of a long tradition of mutual visits. Before the exchange was limited to contacts by telephone and video conference since 2020 due to the pandemic, the Senate President had last visited the Bundesrat in 2018 with a delegation at the invitation of the then President Michael Müller. In 2019, the then President of the Bundesrat Daniel Günther travelled to Paris. The meeting serves to foster Franco-German relations and institutional exchange between the Bundesrat and the Senate.
Bundesrat President Bodo Ramelow was welcomed to his residence with military honours by the President of the French Senate, Gérard Larcher. Ramelow serves likewise as Premier of Thuringia in Central Germany. In Germany, the federal state premiers rotate in the chairmanship of the Federal Council.
Senate President Gérard Larcher, Federal Council President Bodo Ramelow and the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to France, Dr. Hans-Dieter Lucas, used the visit for political talks, in particularly the coordination of the pandemic, European integration, and people-to-people exchanges. During his visit, Bundesrat President Bodo Ramelow signed the Golden Book of the Senate. He also took part in the plenary session in the VIP gallery.
The European Bangladesh Forum or (EBF) convened in The Hague. On 30th November 2021, an international conference was held at Nieuwspoort Den Haag demanding Pakistan recognise the Genocide in Bangladesh committed by Pakistan soldiers in 1971. The documentary film ‘War Crimes 1971’ was screened at the start of the conference.
The EBF issued the following Press Release.
The Hague conference on Genocide demand unconditional apology from Pakistan for crime in 1971 in Bangladesh
The Hague : The international conference in the Hague, known as the city of Justice, demanded of the international community to recognise the 1971 Genocide in Bangladesh committed by Pakistan soldiers and put pressure on the Pakistan government to offer unconditional apology to Bangladeshi people for the crime committed against humanity during the 9-month long liberation war in Bangladesh.
The conference was organized by the Europe-based Bangladeshi diaspora organisation, European Bangladesh Forum (EBF) in collaboration with Switzerland Human Rights Commission Bangladesh on 30 November 2021 at the at Nieuwspoort, the Internationaal Perscentrum (attached to Parliament building) in the Hague, Netherlands. It may be mentioned that the Hague conference was the follow-up of the Geneva conference held on the same issue on 30 September 2021 at the Geneva Press Club in Switzerland. A documentary film titled, ‘War Crimes 1971’was screened at the start of the conference.
It may be recalled that in 1971 Pakistan military and their local collaborators committed one of the worst mass atrocities that the world witnessed in the 20th century. The Pakistani occupation army in 9 months killed approximately 3 million people, violated over two hundred thousand girls and women and forced 10 million people to cross the border and take shelter in India. This number of people killed by the Pakistani Army is the highest in the world in such a short period of time. The 1971 Genocide by the Pakistan Army is well documented and reported in the international media and also in the diplomatic correspondences during that period.
Speakers opined that international recognition of any crime against humanity, in this case here against Bangladesh is of immense importance and absolute necessity to show respect and honour to the three millions victims and their family members by recognising the 1971 Genocide in Bangladesh. Recognition of Genocide is essential to create a world free from violation of human rights and for the the safety of our next generation across the whole world. Because, they argues, if the world community don’t recognize a crime as a crime, the world community keep the door open for that crime to happen in the future and that is exactly what is happening in Pakistan today in Baluchistan, Afghanistan and other parts of the region. Unfortunately, Bangladesh GENOCIDE has today become a forgotten chapter in the history and we know the common phrase, ‘Justice delayed, justice denied’.
Ambassador Hamidullah, with Ms. Anar Chowdhury, Board member of EBF participant.
A number of experts with international reputation working on ‘Genocide’ issue from the U.K., Hong Kong, Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Canada and Bangladesh took part in the discussion. Besides, speakers from different ethnic groups including Afghan, Sindh, Baloch and Pashtun also spoke on the occasion. The speakers included Bangladesh ambassador in the Netherlands H.E. Mr. M. Riaz Hamidullah, Mr. Christopher A. Alexander, PC, former Canadian Ambassador in Kabul & former Minister of Canada, Prof Dr. Nuzhat Chowdhury, member of a Genocide victim family from Bangladesh, Dr. Ahmed Ziauddin, Board Member, International Crimes Strategy Forum (ICSF), Belgium, Mr Chris Blackburn, Communications Director, Swiss InterStrategy Group & ‘Friend of Bangladesh’ Award Recipient, UK, Mr. Baseer Naveed, Executive Director, International Human Rights Council, Hong Kong (Sindh), Mr. Aurang Zeb Khan Zalmay, Editor, Pashtun Times & Researcher, Germany, Dr. Rayhan Rashid, Truste Board member, International Crimes Strategy Forum (ICSF), UK and Bikash Chowdhury Barua, President EBF Netherlands. Dr. Mojibur Doftori, writer, senior researcher & HR activist from Finland facilitated the two separate sessions while Ms. Anar Chowdhury, Board member of EBF. Director of Switzerland Human Rights Commission Bangladesh Khalilur Rahman.
Speaking on the day from Canada via on-line former Canadian Ambassador in Afghanistan & former Minister of Canada Mr. Christopher A. Alexander, PC said `1971 was not just a tragedy for Bangladesh, it led the Pakistani army to refocus its efforts away from conventional warfare and towards regular war`.`The ISI policy has been ignored for far too long and some have denied It, some have fallen victim to disinformation, some have been lobbied to turn a blind eye, but those days are ending.`
Bangladesh ambassador in the Netherlands H.E. Mr. M Riaz Hamidullah said, the first step is ` to understand what we are here for`. And because` We live in a world of competitive issues` we have to come to the point where we say, how much, -and how far we can go.
Communications Director of Swiss InterStrategy Group & ‘Friend of Bangladesh’ Award Recipient Mr Chris Blackburn while addressing the conference said, ‘we can’t rest on our laurels, the issue of recognition for the genocide of 1971 is very important. We know that this issue has been fought over and sabotaged. Pakistan needs to apologise. As activists we need to keep having meetings like these. We need to keep informing people about 1971. We need to consolidate and make new friendships with like-minded people. Afghans, Baloch and Hazaras especially.’
International Conference on Recognition of the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide.
Professor Dr. Nuzhat Choudhury, a member of the 1971 Genocide victim family in a video message sent from Dhaka said, what the Pakistani army did with us in Bangladesh, are now doing the same thing in Baluchistan. She added, Pakistan has become the credal of terrorists, they helped the Taliban to develop. Pakistan is causing terrorism not in its own country, but it is spreading terrorism across the region particularly its Secret service ISI are still causing disruption in Bangladesh in the name of religion and their continuing to do so in the west as well.
The Uzbekistan presidential elections came and went. H.E. Ambassador Dilyor Khakimov of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Brussels organized a round table conference “Presidential election in Uzbekistan, results and assessments”
The round table conference offered election observers the opportunity to report and assess their findings of the presidential election. The overall view of the observers is that voting took place in a calm and relaxed mood, there were no reports of anomalies. The atmosphere that reigned was one of a family’s day out.
The round table conference, Mr. Ravshan Mamatov, Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of Uzbekistan was the moderator of the conference. Attendees included:
– Mr. Gaspard Cratsborn, Committee Member, International Relations, JOVD, The Hague.
– Diplomat Magazine, Publisher Dr. Mayelinne De Lara, Editor Mr. Roy Lie Atjam Editor.
– Mr. Jan Leendert Reinhard, Let’s Discover company.
– Diplomatic World, Barbara Dietrich, CEO. Mr. Alberto Turkstra, Project Manager.
– Mr. Axel Goethals is CEO of the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS), a leading think tank, focusing on EU-Asia relations, along with some other persons.
According to Ambassador Dilyor Khakimov, observers didn’t signal major issues or irregularities.
One observer approached an individual who indicated not to cast his vote but felt very pleased with the freedom of choice.
Another observer suggested to have more grassroot initiatives, to create some space for young people hence they will not alienate from politics. There are still barriers that should be taken down.
Furthermore, an observer at the conference proposed to reduce the number of voting hours. He said the scores of polling stations had to wait for many hours before they could proceed to the counting of ballot papers. He went on to mention the option of voting by proxy to be considered and that mobile box voting should be improved. Details as the folding of the ballot papers was also raised.
All in all, the observers were pleasantly surprised by the orderly manner in which the election was conducted.
Dr. Mayelinne De Lara, Diplomat Magazine’s Publisher.
Remarks from an international monitoring mission led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said on October 25 that, despite some movement in the ongoing reforms, the election was “not truly competitive.” Despite the absence of significant competition, voter turnout was strong at 80.8%.
Meanwhile, observer missions from the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Turkic Council and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization said the voting was fair, transparent, and without major violations.
Under Mirziyoyev, freedom of speech has expanded compared with the suppression of the Karimov era. In addition, some independent news media and bloggers have appeared. Mirziyoyev also relaxed the tight controls that Karimov imposed to counter dissident views on Islam in the predominantly Muslim country.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was officially inaugurated for his second term on 6 November 2021. The ceremony took place at the senate building in a joint session of both chambers of the Parliament.
The President will have to face Uzbek society’s growing expectations for more political freedoms.
The round table conference concluded with a networking reception and a degustation of Uzbek delicacies.
H.E. Mr. Ramadan Nazifi, Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Republic of North Macedonia to the Federal Republic of Germany
The Republic of North Macedonia, a small country in the middle of the Balkan Peninsula, with its rich cultural tradition, sunny days and hospitality, this year on September 8th marked the 30th anniversary of its independence, as a NATO member and awaiting a date for the start of accession negotiations for membership in the European Union.
It is not easy to be small and successful among the big ones, but we have been trying hard to achieve that and we are happy for that.
Thirty years ago, our citizens clearly decided to say goodbye to the old system and build a new, independent, democratic path, the benefits of which we enjoy today.
It was not easy, because we faced many challenges and obstacles, with the struggle for international recognition, wars in the neighborhood, traumatic transformation of the economy, political unrest, ethnic tensions and so on. Through the 30 years of independent existence, the country has gone through a series of problems and difficulties. The triple-digit inflation in the early 1990s, the economic embargo, the Kosovo refugee crisis and the conflict in 2001, were real challenges and threats for the young Macedonian state and slowed down its development path.
But, thanks to the wisdom and pragmatism of the political, intellectual, academic structures and institutions, as well as the wisdom and patience of our citizens, we managed to overcome all these challenges and build a successful model of coexistence, based on the Ohrid Framework Agreement and a modern constitution. Today, the Republic of North Macedonia is an example of a functional, tolerant, multiethnic, multi-religious and multicultural democratic state.
North Macedonia, with its constructive policy of good neighborliness, significantly contributes to peace and stability in the Western Balkans. This was practically confirmed with the signing of the Agreement on Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation with Bulgaria and the Prespa Agreement with Greece. In this way, we have resolved two long-standing disputes with our neighboring countries, with which we are building friendly relations today. We are also happy for the good relations with other neighboring countries.
North Macedonia has also proven to be a reliable and constructive partner in bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation. This is happening through active participation in many forms of regional cooperation, as well as mutual support with many countries in various international organizations. Such successful cooperation was confirmed during the migration crisis in 2015.
As a result of major, successful democratic changes, reforms, and the systematic harmonization of legal provisions, the country has made significant progress in Euro-Atlantic integration and has become a member of NATO. We are still waiting for the next process, ie the start of the accession negotiations with the EU and we hope that the first Inter-governmental Conference will be held as soon as possible.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all European Union member states for their overall cooperation and support of my country in the Euro-Atlantic efforts. This cooperation and support has been confirmed in various forms, including the Berlin Process started by Germany, as a project of political reconciliation, infrastructural connectivity, digitalization and economic prosperity of the Western Balkans region.
As Ambassador of North Macedonia in Germany, I would particularly like to thank Germany and to emphasize the professional, constructive, close and friendly cooperation with the German Institutions and authorities, chambers of commerce, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, foundations and all kinds of associations, which significantly contribute to the excellent bilateral relations between our countries and to strengthening Germany’s reputation in North Macedonia and vice versa. The Federal Republic of Germany continuously supports the realization of many projects and the overall economic and social development of North Macedonia and we are very grateful for that.
H.E. Mr. Ramadan Nazifi, Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Republic of North Macedonia to the Federal Republic of Germany
Chronology
The break-up of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the result of a series of political riots and clashes in the early 1990s.
After the disintegration of the former state of SFR Yugoslavia, independent states were formed, including the then Republic of Macedonia, today the Republic of North Macedonia, which this year marked 30 years of independence and independence, after a successful referendum on September 8, 1991, in which citizens declared themselves an independent and sovereign state. Over 95 percent of the citizens who went to the referendum, voted in favor of an independent Macedonia. Earlier, on January 25, 1991, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the first multi-party Macedonian Parliament. An important step for the country was the adoption of the new Constitution on November 17, 1991.
After the declaration of independence, the statehood of Macedonia was recognized among the first by Turkey and Bulgaria, as well as Slovenia, Croatia, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then other countries.
Following the adoption of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the State, Kiro Gligorov was elected the first President of an independent and sovereign Republic of Macedonia by the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, on January 27, 1991.
The country gained monetary independence with the introduction of the Denar on April 26, 1992, and then received its own Army, which celebrates its birthday on August 18.
The state International Legal Entity of the state as subject of international law was definitely confirmed on April 8, 1993, when by acclamation in the General Assembly of the United Nations, Macedonia was accepted as the 181st member of the United Nations.
Due to the disagreements of our southern neighbor, which did not accept the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia, the membership in the UN was under the temporary reference: Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).
Negotiations with Greece to resolve the name dispute
Over the years, negotiations to resolve the name issue with Greece periodically continued and stopped, and finally resumed in 2017. The negotiations between Skopje and Athens became topical after the first meeting of Prime Minister Zaev with the then Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, during the Davos Summit in January 2018.
Negotiations to resolve the name dispute under the auspices of the United Nations, after many years, have borne fruit and the Prespa Agreement (Agreement on the settlement of the name dispute and strategic partnership) has been reached. The agreement was signed in June 2018 on the Greek side of Lake Prespa.
According to the Agreement, Macedonia changed its name from the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia, and after the signing of the Agreement followed the steps for its implementation, such as holding a referendum in North Macedonia in September 2018. Then the constitutional amendments were voted in the Assembly by a two-thirds majority, in order to change the constitutional name.
The Agreement was also ratified by the Greek Parliament, followed by the next stages provided by the Agreement and the promotion of relations between the two neighboring countries, which with the Prespa Agreement resolved the decades-long dispute and the open issue that was a barrier to the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
The road to NATO
Membership in the world’s largest military-political alliance, NATO, has been a strategic goal of the country since the independence. In 1999, at the Washington Summit, North Macedonia became a candidate for NATO membership.
Following the Prespa Agreement, the doors opened for its NATO membership. In July 2018, North Macedonia received an invitation from NATO to start accession negotiations. In February 2019, NATO member states signed the Protocol on the Accession of North Macedonia to NATO. Following the ratification of the Accession Protocol to the parliaments of all members of the Alliance, on March 27, 2020, North Macedonia became 30th member of NATO.
EU membership – a strategic goal
Also, EU membership for North Macedonia is a top priority and strategic goal of the country. Our expectations are that the country will finally receive a date for the start of accession negotiations by the end of this year.
The Stabilization and Association Agreement governing the country’s relations with the European Union was signed on 9 April 2001.
In 2005, Macedonia received the status of a candidate country for EU membership, and in 2009 it received the first recommendation from the European Commission to start accession negotiations with the EU.
In August 2017, the Agreement on Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation was signed between Macedonia and its eastern neighbor Bulgaria. The agreement aims to develop co-operation between the two neighboring countries, as well as to harmonize certain issues of history.
The country continues to systematically and successfully implement the reforms outlined by the European Commission in its annual reports. In the Progress reports of the European Commission in recent years, it is constantly emphasized that North Macedonia has made great progress in the implementation of internal reforms and deserves to start accession negotiations.
North Macedonia, despite the mentioned difficulties, remains on the European path, expects a soon solution to the misunderstandings and fulfillment of the strategic goals – EU membership, strengthening democracy and economic development. In fact, it is a determination of the majority of citizens and political actors in the country.
North Macedonia, despite the thorny path to independence and the obstacles so far, both internally and in terms of foreign policy and relations with neighbors, today is an example of international, inter-religious and intercultural harmony, as well as a nurturer of democratic values. It, with its famous combination of traditional and modern, reflects respect, love and tolerance, which are in fact EU values, and only such an EU has a future. North Macedonia is seen as a natural part of such a mosaic called Europe, which is home to all of us. Home to every person with human values, developed consciousness, where there is equality in diversity.
I recommend you to visit North Macedonia and I cordially invite you to see for yourself the natural beauties of my country, to taste its food delicacies and wine, to experience on the spot its hospitality, rich cultural traditions and multiculturalism. Its really worth it!
