North Macedonia, 2011

It is my special honour

and privilege to address this important forum and to

share with the Assembly the positions of the Republic

of Macedonia regarding current issues on the United

Nations agenda.

First, allow me to congratulate His Excellency

Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his

election to the prestigious position of President of the

General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, and to

congratulate the previous President, Mr. Joseph Deiss,

on his remarkably successful presidency at the sixty-

fifth session. I also take this opportunity to

congratulate Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his

reappointment, confident that he will continue to work

devotedly to realize the noble objectives of the United

Nations.

The Republic of Macedonia recently celebrated

the twentieth anniversary of its independence. We have

faced many challenges and temptations, including

achieving a peaceful declaration of independence, the

introduction of a new political system with due respect

for democratic values and human rights and freedoms,

transforming our economic system and then dealing

with many social problems, establishing ourselves as a

responsible and active member of the international

community, and shouldering the additional burden of

various requirements and conditions.

Throughout this time, the Republic of Macedonia

has had the United Nations as a partner. Based on

lessons learned over the past 20 years, my country is

particularly conscious of the value of mediation in the

peaceful settlement of conflicts. Macedonia welcomes

the timely and wise decision to make the role of

mediation in the settlement of disputes by peaceful

means the focus of this year’s debate.

The majority of conflicts do not happen

overnight; they are predictable and offer realistic

opportunities for effective diplomatic efforts to prevent

them. Such cases offer the chance of incurring the

lowest cost in every way. While we affirm the

sovereignty of States, we must take into consideration

that there are moments when a State or States need

mediation services, with impartiality and willingness

on the part of the mediators to understand the thrust of

the issues and to help all parties concerned resolve

their problems in a mutually acceptable and

satisfactory manner before they can escalate in an

unwanted direction.

The Millennium Development Goals remain the

parameters we need to evaluate our success. Regardless

of the serious consequences of the global economic

crisis, our commitment to achieving the Millennium

Development Goals must not weaken. The greatest

crises occur as a result of a lack of vision and

dedication. Turning a blind eye to problems or finding

excuses to justify a lack of action to achieve our goals

will only increase the price to be paid in future; and

that will not be calculated merely in dollars or euros,

but also in the most valuable and priceless asset:

human lives.

One challenge that requires an immediate and

long-term solution is the issue of climate change. It is

alarming that, precisely as a result of climate change

caused by human activity, entire nations and States

face uncertainty on a daily basis. Although the

Republic of Macedonia has experienced the adverse

effects of climate change in a less dramatic way, it

wishes to express its solidarity with the countries that

are most exposed to the phenomenon.

In recent times, we have witnessed numerous

conflicts and the disturbance of peace and security in

various regions of the world. The democratic

awakening, especially the so-called Arab Spring, has

shown us once more that democracy cannot be

imposed; it can be derived only from the people’s

rejection of dictatorships and regimes that are in

conflict with the popular interest, and from respect for

basic human rights, universal freedoms and the rule of

law.

Old and frozen conflicts remain a global

challenge. The problem of the abuse of programmes

intended for the peaceful use of nuclear energy has not

yet been solved. Terrorism and extreme hunger caused

by conflicts are only two of the numerous challenges to

which it is imperative that we find immediate solutions

11-51360 34

aimed at improving security at the global and regional

levels.

Human beings must be the focus of our attention,

especially in national policy and, of course, in

multilateral actions. There is no greater value than

human life, human dignity and the right to individual

development, prosperity and happiness. Humankind

requires action that transforms our declarations and

good intentions into deeds. When we ask for that moral

imperative from the United Nations, we are practicing

what we preach. The Republic of Macedonia will

continue to be an active participant in the realization of

our common objectives.

There are many words I could use to describe my

country, and each and every one would fit perfectly in

its own manner. But to begin with, I choose only one,

and I am convinced that it describes the essence of my

country and my people and accurately illustrates all the

efforts and strength we have summoned in order to

overcome the challenges of our recent history. It

clearly describes the patience with which we have

faced every obstacle imposed on us, and which we

have overcome and continue to overcome, at the

economic and institutional level, simply by asserting

our own identity and self-recognition. These obstacles

have been imposed not because of anything we have

done, but simply because of who we are and the fact

that we exist. That word is “responsibility”.

Macedonia has acted responsibly. Our country’s

independence was won through a history that cannot be

called merciful. It rests on the great sacrifice of many

lives and broken dreams. Yet our past is not the only

reason why we act responsibly. We Macedonians

believe that we have a European future and that we can

leave a great legacy for generations to come. That is

precisely why today we in Macedonia are trying to

create a broad base of support and to unify all of our

strength and potential around the bold idea of

Macedonia as a regional leader in economic reform,

education, investment, technology and innovation; in

protection of the environment and of human rights and

freedoms; and in all areas of modern life. Knowing the

great awareness and responsibility of my people — and

citing the example of country’s response to the global

economic crisis, when our solidarity was not shaken

and we came through it all without major problems —

I am convinced that our unity will succeed.

When speaking of Macedonia, however, we

cannot fail to mention another great characteristic that

has remained with us over thousands of years. As our

inheritance from ancient times, this characteristic has

helped us to retain our cosmopolitanism — the ideal

that has enabled us to maintain a functional

multiculturalism. Side by side, throughout the

centuries, different cultures, religions and nations have

coexisted in my country. While many Europeans deem

that astonishing and unique, for us Macedonians that

has been the situation for centuries. We aim for

incorporation into the dominant culture, without any

assimilation or disintegration. Unlike many others

who, afraid for their own national myth, try to suppress

differences, we are proud of them and consider them

our treasure.

Our system is not perfect, and we have many

issues to resolve. Macedonia is on the verge of a great

transformation, which will not happen overnight. We,

like every other nation in the world, have the right to

an identity and to unite around our own national myth.

In our myth, there is a place for Macedonians,

Albanians, Turks, Roma, Serbs, Vlachs, Bosniaks and

others. There is a place for all who accept the virtues of

non-violence, justice, coexistence and cultural

competitiveness. Chauvinism has never been dominant

among our people. The constitutional amendments of

1993 and the change in our flag showed our goodwill,

openness and cooperativeness. However, our sense of

responsibility and our maturity should not be

considered as weaknesses, nor should they be a reason

for continuous abuse from anyone, because we have

dignity and pride. We know who we are and how we

will live. We are Macedonians, we speak Macedonian,

and our country’s name is the Republic of Macedonia.

As Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia,

I would be remiss if I were to neglect the issue of our

name and identity and our southern neighbour’s

objection to both. I mention this not only because of

my position and obligation to the people of the

Republic of Macedonia, but also because it relates in

many ways directly to the issue of the peaceful

resolution of conflict and the role that mediation plays.

We do not like being in the position of having our

name and identity opposed by one country, and we

certainly did not ask for it. But reality is often cold,

hard and brutal. The fact is that our southern neighbour

objects to both our name and identity; its objection has

become our problem, and a dispute has arisen that is

35 11-51360

unique in the world. It is imposed on the basis of the

need of one country, our neighbour, to monopolize two

names, and its strategic determination that we should

not exist as we feel ourselves to be.

Imagine the state that my citizens find themselves

in — blackmailed, with their development and

prospects jeopardized, blocked by our southern

neighbour from joining euro-Atlantic institutions, just

because of what we are and what we feel like. I

personally, and literally all of the citizens of my

country, cannot believe that we have been put in a

situation where we have to resolve a dispute that was

artificially created and absurd. I believe that it is also

utterly incomprehensible to all present. I would ask

participants in this meeting to imagine, just for a

moment, that they are in our shoes, to consider how

they would feel if someone demanded they not be

French, German, British, American, Russian, Chinese,

Nigerian, Japanese, Argentine, Uruguayan or Kenyan,

for instance. That is the only thing I ask, the only thing

I plead for. I ask for support to end this, to allow us to

be what we are. We hurt no one and inflict damage on

no one. We have understanding, tolerance and respect

for our neighbours and friends and for everyone. We

have respect for the neighbour with which we are

having this dispute and an understanding of its fears.

We have no pretensions, nor do we have any intention

of monopolizing the name Macedonia.

Please help us to be proud and dignified and to

avoid a solution that would break us. We seek a

solution that will not harm our spirit and a name that

will recognize our commitment, desire and

determination for coexistence, community,

individuality and identity as well as our sense of

belonging to the world — this world that we are

building, whose virtues we are establishing and whose

future we are fighting for. Macedonians are a peaceful

people and are working, with mediation, to resolve the

dispute with our neighbour in a peaceful manner.

In a speech to the Parliament of the Republic of

Macedonia on 31 August 2001, our late President,

Boris Trajkovski, said:

“We demand that the international

community recognize us by our name — the

Republic of Macedonia — and not by a fictional

derivative. It is high time that the world

recognizes us by what we call ourselves, just like

any other country and its citizens. Otherwise,

how do you expect us to believe in your values,

principles and intentions if you deny our basic

right, the right to identity?”

Fortunately, 131 countries around the world have

made a choice to recognize us by what we call

ourselves — the Republic of Macedonia — and for that

we thank them. We thank them for their principled

position and consistency in the values of protection of

the rights and principles established by the United

Nations itself. Unfortunately, the rules of the world are

such that we cannot be called by what we call

ourselves in this very body. Nor can we join

organizations we have worked hard to become

members of, and, in the case of NATO and the

European Union, have earned a right to be a part of.

This, frankly, is wrong. There is no other word for it.

What others choose to do about it — their behaviour —

is entirely up to them.

It is a great honour and great privilege to address

this body. All of us are leaders of our people and all of

us represent them to the best of our abilities. But we

must recommit ourselves as leaders to our own peoples

first, and to the peoples of this world second. If we do

that, we can survive, we can succeed and we can build

a better world for ourselves, our children, our

grandchildren and for future generations, which,

ultimately is what each and every one of us wants.