Ahmeti: North Macedonia’s independence must be strengthened through equality and coexistence

Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) leader Ali Ahmeti has conveyed his congratulations on the 35th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of North Macedonia. In his message, he described the anniversary as an opportunity to reflect on the creation of the state and the responsibility to build a better future for younger generations.

Ahmeti emphasized that North Macedonia was not built by just one community. According to him, for many years Albanians and members of other non-majority communities did not feel equal before the state institutions.

He referred to the constitutional changes of 1989 and the way the constitutional order was shaped in the early 1990s. The exclusion of Albanians and other communities from decision-making in key processes related to the creation of the state, Ahmeti said, created a wide gap between the institutions and a part of the citizens.

“This was a historical injustice, but also an unsustainable state model,” Ahmeti said.

According to him, the 2001 conflict represented a confrontation with this reality, while the Ohrid Peace Agreement brought about a significant turning point in the functioning of the state.

Ahmeti argued that the Ohrid Agreement was not limited to changing several constitutional provisions. In his view, it changed the very philosophy of the state, moving it away from majority domination and directing it toward coexistence, equality and shared responsibility.

“Albanians did not seek another state. On the contrary, they pledged to build this state together,” his message said.

Referring to developments after 2001, Ahmeti said that the inclusion in institutions, the administration, culture, education and public life of a community that had been kept away from them for decades required reforms, political commitment and a change in the way of thinking.

In this context, he also highlighted the role of DUI, stressing that the integration of Albanians and non-majority communities had been considered part of the process of building a more functional, democratic and equal state.

Ahmeti stressed that, 25 years after the Ohrid Agreement, its achievements could not be attributed to just one party or one community. According to him, they represent part of the transformation of the entire state.

“The Ohrid Agreement strengthened the unitary state by making it more democratic. It made it more stable by making it more inclusive. And it created a foundation on which the country continued its path toward NATO and the European Union,” he said.

The DUI leader warned that efforts to portray the Ohrid Agreement as a threat to the state amounted to a return to a debate that, in his view, had already received its answer from history.

Ahmeti also expressed concern about what he called exclusion from representation, obstacles to the use of languages, a lack of inclusion in culture and public life, as well as attempts to weaken or relativize the principles that have guaranteed peace.

“Because states are not weakened by equality. States are weakened when their citizens begin to feel excluded,” Ahmeti stressed.

His vision for North Macedonia is that of a unitary, democratic and European state belonging to all its citizens and founded on equality and mutual respect.

He added that Albanians had contributed and would continue to contribute to building and strengthening the state. However, according to Ahmeti, a shared commitment is needed so that every citizen considers the country their own and every community is represented in the state institutions.

At the conclusion of his message, Ahmeti called on citizens to protect their shared achievements and continue the journey toward European integration.

“Let us preserve what we have built together and move it forward. Let us not return to policies that divide, but move toward a state that unites,” he said.