Q&A: Macedonia President Boris Trajkovski

The fighting in Macedonia has triggered fears of a wider Balkan conflict. The president of the Republic of Macedonia, Boris Trajkovski, spoke to CNN about the crisis facing his country.

Q: What is the Macedonian government's position vis-a-vis the ethnic Albanian rebel demands that ethnic Albanians in Macedonia should enjoy parity status with Macedonian Slavs, and therefore have the same political, economic and cultural rights?

Trajkovski: The Republic of Macedonia is being built on democratic ideals and values, not on ethnic groups. Those ideals and values include economic opportunities, language and educational opportunities, religious rights, and political processes.

Ethnic Albanian and Macedonian communities are still being integrated as the country moves from its socialist past to its market-oriented future. To integrate the different ethnic communities, the government is committed to a policy of integration of all ethnic groups into society by providing economic opportunities to all as well as continued market reform.

IN-DEPTH Macedonia: Hurdles to peace   •  Balkan hotspots   •  Interactive map   •  Macedonia's military   •  News search   •  Audio/video archive   •  In-Depth: Yugoslavia   •  In-Depth: Kosovo

The Constitution provides for primary and secondary education in the languages of the ethnic minorities. Primary education is available in Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish, and Serbian.

In July 2000, the government adopted legislation to address longstanding requests by ethnic Albanians for university-level courses taught in the Albanian language with the passage of a new Law on Higher Education.

A new educational programme - sponsored by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) -- will allow ethnic Albanians to study in their own language; however, courses in Macedonian must also be provided in at least two subjects.

Macedonia is home to three main religious faiths: Roman Catholicism, Islam, and Orthodox Christianity. Macedonian citizens enjoy full freedom of religion.

All citizens are free to take part in the democratic process. Currently, Macedonia Albanians in the government coalition hold six ministry positions. Furthermore, Macedonian Albanians hold mayoral positions in many of Macedonia's largest cities and hundreds have been elected to city councils and municipal positions.

Q: Is the Macedonian Government prepared to discuss the issue of ethnic minority rights with the respective representatives of those communities at this point - or at a later stage?

Trajkovski: The Macedonian Government includes representatives of the ethnic minorities - Albanians, Romas and others. There are constant efforts to address these issues to ensure that all citizens - regardless of their ethnic or religious background, have access to these rights. While there continues to be differences, the important point is that all citizens and elected officials use democratic and legal avenues for solving those differences.

Q: Does the Macedonian Government consider ethnic rebel leaders as the legitimate representatives of ethnic Albanians in Macedonia? If not, who is the government prepared to talk with to discuss these issues?

Trajkovski: Absolutely not. The legitimate representatives of the ethnic Albanians in Macedonia are the democratically elected members of parliament (at the federal level) represented by the Democratic Party of Albanians and the Party of Democratic Prosperity (also Albanian). As mentioned before, the representatives of the parties, who hold ministerial level positions, are constantly discussing these and other issues. The leadership of these two parties vehemently disagree that these rebel leaders have any legitimacy whatsoever.

Q: Is the Macedonian Government prepared to give ethnic Albanians and other minorities proportional representation on important councils and state bodies - such as local councils and cabinet ministries.?

Trajkovski: The Macedonian Government is already represented in these bodies by Albanians and other ethnic groups. The government of the Republic of Macedonia is democratically elected, at the local, municipal and federal level, and different ethnic groups compete for these positions and are elected by the people. The government of the Republic of Macedonia uses democracy - and not quotas - to govern.

Q: What does the government consider to be the most effective strategy in dealing with the increased demands by ethnic minorities?

Trajkovski: The Republic of Macedonia will continue to promote economic prosperity and political rights for all of its citizens through market and democratic reforms. This will give all citizens - regardless of ethnic or religious background - access to job opportunities, educational opportunities, cultural representation and political participation.

The Republic of Macedonia is committed to a policy of democratic development that does not include negotiating with terrorists. The key to resolving this and other situations relies on working through democratic channels with elected officials, citizens associations and individuals.

Macedonia border battle rages
March 16, 2001
Balkans tension spreading
March 14, 2001
Yugoslav army enter buffer zone
March 14, 2001
NATO optimistic over Kosovo deal
March 12, 2001
Macedonia: A Balkan time bomb?
March 1, 2001

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Kosovo information
NATO
United Nations
Macedonian Government

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.