Mickoski on the Ohrid Agreement: We Must Learn from the Past to Build a Safe and Stable State

On the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said the document is part of the country’s recent history, as well as its political and institutional reality. According to him, the anniversary should serve as an opportunity to assess the agreement with maturity, respecting the different views within society and, above all, demonstrating responsibility toward the future.

In a Facebook post, Mickoski stressed that history should not be adapted to suit the interests of day-to-day politics. He added that not all citizens can be expected to view past events in the same way.

The prime minister acknowledged that the Framework Agreement is perceived and interpreted differently by citizens. Nevertheless, he said there is a shared obligation to learn from the past and build a state in which differences do not become a source of division but are addressed with prudence, responsibility and through institutions.

Mickoski noted that, more than two decades later, the country is facing new challenges. He said today’s generations want functioning institutions, equality before the law, quality education, better healthcare, a higher standard of living, economic development and opportunities to build their future in the country.

According to him, these are precisely the issues that should unite citizens, regardless of their ethnic, religious or political affiliation. Mickoski stressed that the time has come for politics to pay less attention to what divides people and focus much more on what must be built together.

He also said that Macedonia needs a society in which an individual’s worth is determined not by their origin, but by their knowledge, work, honesty and contribution to the community.

Under the prime minister’s vision, the state should have institutions that serve citizens, while each person’s advancement should be tied to their abilities and results. He said today’s responsibility is to create a stable and safe country where everyone feels respected and is equal before the law, while strengthening the sense of shared belonging and responsibility toward the state.

Mickoski stressed that the past cannot be changed, but the kind of future that will be built can be determined. According to him, that future should be free from ethnic tensions, political manipulation and divisions that have been used for years as a substitute for results.

Instead, as he wrote, the country needs jobs, development, order, mutual respect and strong institutions. The prime minister described leaving future generations a more stable, successful and just Macedonia than the one inherited as an obligation—a country where diversity is respected and the shared future remains stronger than anything that divides its citizens. Mickoski published these views on his Facebook profile./Telegrafi/