ministry of foreign affairs of the repuBlic of … · 2 MaCedOnian diPlOMatiC bulletinno. 77 2013...

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I N F O C U S

Foreign Ministers oF Lithuania and roMania Pay Joint Visit to Macedonia

Honorary Consuls Visit MaCedONIa

Page 5

20tH anniVersary of MaCedONIa’S UN MeMberShIp

aNd UN day Page 6

Wolfgang isCHinger: MaCedONIa TraNSFOrMed FrOM

SeCUrITy CONSUMer TO SeCUrITy prOvIder IN very ShOrT TIMe

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MiCHael Baier: eC reCOMMeNdaTION ShOUld

FINally be hONOred Page 12

page 4

page 7

The UNITed NaTIONS aNd The repUblIC OF MaCedONIa

Dr. Srgjan Kerim,

presiDent of the 62nD session of the un general assemBly anD former minister of foreign

affairs of the repuBlic of maceDonia

MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN No. 77 – 20132

Diplomatic neWs

Macedonian Diplomatic Bulletin was founded in October 2006 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia.

Filip II Makedonski 7, 1000 Skopje Republic of Macedonia

[email protected]

Editor:Vladimir Efremovski

Editorial Board:Zuko Rizvanski, Shaban Jashari, Katerina Stavreska, Olga Janevska Jovanovik, and Sejfullah Shaqiri

Photo: Ljupco Blagoevski

Published monthly by:Macedonian Information Centre

Director: Dragan Antonov

Chief Translator: Aleksandra Ilievska

MDB

No. 77October 2013

The articles published in Macedonian Diplomatic Bulletin do not necessarily represent the views of the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Macedonian Information Centre.

© 2013

Naum Naumovski Borce 73, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia www.micnews.com.mk

Gjorge Ivanov, President of the Republic of Macedonia, paid a working visit to

Beijing and Chengdu, Sichuan Province, in the People’s Republic of China on 21-24 October.

During his stay in Beijing, he had a meeting with Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China.

On the occasion of 20th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the People’s Republic of China, President Ivanov addressed the reception hosted at the Friendship Hall at the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in Beijing.

In Chengdu, Sichuan Province, President Ivanov attended the opening ceremony of the 14th Western China International Fair and 6th Western China International Cooperation Forum at which he delivered a speech named “Balanced

Development and Joint Prosperity.” In Chengdu, he also met Wei Hong, Governor of Sichuan Province, and paid a visit to the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.

During his stay in Beijing and Chengdu, the Macedonian delegation led by President Ivanov visited a number of Chinese companies interested in economic cooperation with the Republic of Macedonia.

presiDent ivanov Visits China

Invited by Milan Štěch, President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech

Republic, Macedonian Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski accompanied by his Deputy Suzana Saliu and MPs Rejhan Durmishi and Romeo Trenov, paid an official visit to Prague on 29 October.

Mr. Štěch and Mr. Veljanoski agreed at their meeting that the Czech Republic and the Republic of Macedonia were friendly countries with good political relations that could be further promoted by sharing experience in the parliamentary and economic fields. The continuous and intense Czech support for Macedonia’s bid for NATO and EU integration is in fact reflection of the good bilateral relations.

Speaker Veljanoski also met Přemysl Sobotka, Vice President of the Senate, Prime Minister Jiří Rusnok and Foreign Minister Jan Kohout, as well as representatives of the Macedonian community in the Czech Republic.

parliament speaker veljanoski Pays OffiCial Visit tO CzeCh RePubliC

presiDent ivanov pays Visit tO albania

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov paid a visit to the Republic of Albania

on 10 October. At his meeting with the rep-resentatives of the Macedonian community in Podgradec, he stressed that Macedonians in Albania should contribute to the overall progress of the country in which they lived

because that was in the interest of the pro-cess of European integration.

Macedonians in Albania emphasized that they expected support from the new Government led by Prime Minister Edi Rama who argued for granting minorities in the country more rights.

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No. 77 – 2013 MACEDONIAN DIPLOMATIC BULLETIN 3

On 16 October 2013, Gjorge Ivanov, President of the Republic of Macedonia, received Ambassador Aivo Orav, Chief of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Macedonia, who handed him the European Commission Progress

Report on the Republic of Macedonia and informed him of the key assessments laid out in it.

Expressing satisfaction with the recon-firmed recommendation for opening EU accession negotiations with the Republic

of Macedonia, President Ivanov stressed that the EC Report this year too provided an objective picture of the country’s ac-complishments.

“We trust that this time round, too, the European Commission presented a wealth of results, facts and arguments for taking a positive decision of opening accession negotiations with Macedonia at the coming Summit in December.

“We remain fully committed to and focused on reforms, whose aim is introducing European standards to the Macedonian society, and on the promotion of relations and cooperation in the region in adherence with the

European principles and values,” said Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki concerning the latest EC Progress Report on the Republic of Macedonia.

Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski had a meeting with EU Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle in Brussels on 25 October, at which information was shared regarding the latest EC report on Macedonia’s progress 2013 and the coming challenges for Macedonia on its European integration path. The Macedonia prime minister later told the press that he expressed gratitude

to Commissioner Füle for the report Macedonia received from the Union and for the effort that the Commission had made to make the assessments and present the situation as it is.

Prime Minister Gruevski also had an informal meeting with Christian Danielsson, the new Director General for Enlargement at the EC, and Pierre Vimont, Secretary General of the

European External Action Service, in Brussels on 24 October.

During his visit to Brussels, Prime Minister Gruevski had an informal meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Plamen Oresharski, too, at which opinions were shared about all aspects important to the relations between the two neighboring countries.

PrEsIDENt IvANOv rECEIvEs EC rEPOrt ON MaCedOnia’s PROgRess 2013

PM GruEvskI: rENEwED rECOMMENDAtION Is ReCOgnitiOn Of gOOd Results

FM POPOskI: MACEDONIA stays COMMitted tO RefORM

PM GruEvskI MEEts ENlArGEMENt COMMissiOneR füle in bRussels

On the occasion of the release of the EC Progress Report on the Re-public of Macedonia 2013, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said on 16 October that the Macedonian Government welcomed the Report and the renewed recommendation to the EU member states to decide

to open membership negotiations with Macedonia.

The Republic of Macedonia expects the Council of the European Union to take these arguments and the common EU interest into consideration and decide in December of this year to set Macedonia a date for opening talks.


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A Delegation of the Republic of Lithuania led by Linas Linkevičius, Lithuanian

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the EU Council, and a Romanian delegation led by Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlățean, Chairman of the South-East European Cooperation Process, paid a visit to the Republic of Macedonia on 6-7 October.

During their joint meeting, Ministers Linkevičius and Corlățean met Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki, President Gjorge Ivanov and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, and had a joint meeting at the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia

with the Presidents of the National European Integration Council, the Committee on European Affairs, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Delegation to the European Union-Republic of Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee.

The process of Macedonia’s accession to the European Union in the run-up to the release of the EC Progress Report on 16 October 2013 and in the context of the conclusions of the Council of the EU and the European Council in December 2013 as well

as regional cooperation and the South-East European Cooperation Process were tabled at the meetings.

foreign ministers of lithuania anD romania Pay JOint Visit tO MaCedOnia

Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki participated in the

International European Energy Security Forum in Dubrovnik on 3-4 October.

At the Forum’s panel on “The European Energy Security and the South Gas Pipeline Corridor,” Minister Poposki stressed that gas and electricity were today what coal and steel had been 60 years ago.

“The more we take them across borders, the more stable and prosperous our region will be,” he said.

Speaking about the policies of the energy sector of the Republic of Macedonia, Minister Poposki laid stress on the favorable business climate in Macedonia and also informed on the process of the country’s gasification.

On the sidelines of the Forum, he held a bilateral meeting with Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, and held informal talks with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevich.

FM POPOskI AttENDs EurOPEAN ENErGy seCuRity fORuM in dubROVnik

As part of the preparations of the draft Resolution of the European

Parliament on the progress of the Republic of Macedonia in 2013, Richard Howitt, Member of the European Parliament and Rapporteur on Macedonia, paid a visit to Macedonia on 28-30 October and held meetings with high-ranking Macedonian officials.

At his meeting with Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, it was assessed that the positive Progress Report on Macedonia and the renewed fifth recommendation for opening negotiations with the EU were very good for the country.

At his meeting with Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki, Mr. Howitt received gratitude for the support and constructive approach of the European Parliament and for his personal engagement in the process of Macedonia’s European integration, articulated through the messages contained in the few consecutive EP resolutions on the Republic of Macedonia.

Mr. Howitt also attended the 12th meeting of the European Union-Republic of Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee.

mep anD rapporteur richarD hoWitt Pays Visit tO MaCedOnia


POPOskI AttENDs VisegRad gROuP, WesteRn balkans and Cei Meetings in budaPest

Between 6 and 10 October 2013, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, H.E. Mr. Nikola Poposki, hosted

the Meeting of the Honorary Consuls of the Republic of Macedo-nia abroad with the aim of strengthening the Consuls’ efforts in promoting the country abroad and establishing business links.

The Honorary Consuls held meetings with top state officials, representatives of the local government, the chambers of commerce, and business owners and had an opportunity to learn firsthand about Macedonia’s development potential in the areas of business, tourism and culture.

The role of the Honorary Consuls in promoting the Republic of Macedonia in their countries and the significance of their engage-ment in promoting economic cooperation was stressed at their meeting with Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov.

At their working meeting with the Macedonian Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and the economic team of ministers held in Ohrid, they were presented the encompassing government system reforms and concrete measures for growth, as well as the conditions for investment in the Republic of Macedonia.

They also had a chance to learn more about the economic, tour-ist and cultural development of Skopje, Bitola, and Ohrid and met on that occasion with the mayors of these municipalities and their businessmen.

The extensive and varied program of the Meeting resulted in set-ting clear and closely defined guidelines for the Honorary Consuls’ further engagement for the purpose of promoting Macedonia better both economically and politically.

HONOrAry CONsuls Visit MaCedOniaDiplomatic neWs

Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki participated in the ministerial meetings of the countries of the Visegrad

Group and the Western Balkans, and the Central European Initia-tive (CEI) in Budapest on 30-31 October.

The central topic of the meeting of the countries of the Viseg-rad Group and the Western Balkans was the European integration of the Balkan countries, the challenges on their way to the EU, the transformative power of the European integration and the ways of exerting positive impact on the process of EU enlargement. Minis-

ter Poposki stressed on that occasion that the EU had to maintain its transformative power over the Balkans and the credibility of the enlargement policy, and emphasized that Macedonia had long deserved a date for opening EU accession negotiations as a result of its commitment to raising standards in key fields.

The achievements and the role of the Central European Initia-tive in the past two and a half decades, as well as the possible di-rections of action in the following period were tabled at the meet-ing of the CEI countries.


maceDonia in focus

The 20th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the Republic of Macedonia and a number of countries

from Europe and beyond was marked at the Macedonian Opera and Ballet in Skopje on 9 October.

In 1993, a decision was made to establish and develop bilateral relations and cooperation in all areas of shared interest with the Republic of Macedonia by the following countries: the Republic of Belarus, New Zealand, the Republic of Indonesia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malaysia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Angola, the Federal Republic of Germany, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the French Republic, the Italian Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Albania, the Republic of Finland, the Republic of Poland and Iceland.

Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki and British Ambassador Christopher Yvon delivered speeches on this occasion emphasizing the importance of the recognition of Macedonia 20 years ago when in a time of numerous challenges Macedonia needed broad support to establish itself as an independent entity on the international stage.

Works by distinguished artists from the countries that participated in the event were exhibited within the framework

of the celebration in cooperation with the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Republic of Macedonia. A cocktail party hosted by the participant countries at which traditional meals, symbols and souvenirs were presented was also held. The celebration was completed with a gala concert of the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Choir of the Macedonian Opera and Ballet accompanied by eminent soloists from Macedonia, France, Germany and Poland.

fOReign MinistRy MaRks 20th anniVeRsaRy Of EstAblIsHING DIPlOMAtIC rElAtIONs bEtwEEN

MACEDONIA AND 21 COuNtrIEs

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the accession of the Republic of Macedonia

to the United Nations and the Day of the UN, Macedonian Deputy Foreign Minister Zoran Petrov and Bertrand Desmoulins, acting Resident Coordinator of the UN in the Republic of Macedonia, hosted a joint reception attended by government officials, representatives of UN agencies, the diplomatic corps, and the national partners from the academy and the civil society. The winners of the Social Innovation Contest were also announced on that occasion.

FOrEIGN MINIstry AND uN OFFICE IN MACEDONIA MaRk 20th anniVeRsaRy Of MaCedOnia’s un

MeMbeRshiP and un day


With the disintegration of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), a historically unique opportunity for the

Macedonian people to create their own independent and sovereign state opened up. The opportunity was seized with the referendum held on 8 September 1991 when the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia took the historic decision to create the Republic of Macedonia as a sovereign and independent state.

From the point of view of international law and also bearing in mind the report of the Badinter Commission, the process of gaining independence of the Republic of Macedonia should have unfolded without any interruptions and problems. This is all the more so considering that the Recommendation 6 of the Arbitra-tion Commission of the Peace Conference for Yugoslavia (known as the Badinter Commission) said that the European Community should grant the request of the Republic of Macedonia for interna-tional recognition considering the country met all required criteria concerning honoring of human rights, and international peace and security. However, the political pressure resulting from the national interests of certain countries, Greece in particular, prevailed over international law with all ensuing implications.

Yugoslavia’s dissolution was a very complicated process not just because of the armed conflicts between some of the former Yugo-slav republics but also because of the different interpretation of the succession and consequently the conflict of interests among the SFRY successor countries. In fact, one of the reasons for the forma-tion of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) was providing Ser-bia and Montenegro, as constituents of FRY, with the exclusive right to succession of SFRY, while treating the other successor countries as seceding constituents that should therefore be denied the right to succession. This was one of the main reasons why each of the SFRY successor countries had to apply for UN membership.

From the viewpoint of international law, since SFRY became decomposed into its constitutive elements (see the Constitution of SFRY), a logical implication would have been for each former constituent to inherit SFRY’s right of UN membership of 1945, as in fact all SFRY’s responsibilities were inherited based on internation-al law. In this context, I would like to cite the decision of the Second Meeting of the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) of 29 November 1943 according to which “Yugoslavia is built and will be built based on a federative principle

ensuring equality of Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians and Montenegrins, that is to say the peoples of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

As far as the succession of former SFRY is concerned, we have to take into consideration the separate provisions of its last Constitu-tion of 1974, set forth both in its Preamble and Articles 1 and 2, stating that: “The peoples of Yugoslavia, based on the right of very people to self-determination including the right to secession… united into the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia [excerpt from the Preamble]; SFRY is a federal state created as a commu-nity of peoples that have united voluntarily and of their socialist republics [excerpt from Article 1]; SFRY consists of… the Socialist Federative Republic of Macedonia… [excerpt from Article 2. In addition to the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, the other republics comprising the Federation are also listed].”

The last chance for the process of Yugoslavia’s disintegration to be resolved politically thus avoiding the bloodshed was the confer-ence in The Hague in September 1991 under the leadership of Lord Peter Carrington. He proposed disassociation of the constituents of the Yugoslav federation and, following the so-called zero hour, formation of a community of the newly created states. Without making any more detailed elaborations of this issue because that is not our topic, I would only like to say that this solution would have also ensured succession in regard to international organiza-tions. Had this road of SFRY succession been taken, the Republic of Macedonia would not have faced from the very beginning the politically motivated obstacles from Greece channeled via the Eu-ropean Union.

The UN Security Council, which according to the UN Charter is the key body of the UN when the admission of new members is de-cided, was cornered to accept the denial of the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia as an obstacle to its UN membership considering the conclusions of the European Union bound two permanent members of the Security Council with the right to veto to defend and represent the position of Greece although this was by no means undergirded by international law.

Finally, on 8 April 1993, at the proposal of Great Britain, France and Spain, the Republic of Macedonia was admitted to the UN un-der the reference “former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” as the 181st member state. It was Kiro Gligorov, President of the Republic

maceDonia in focus

Dr. Srgjan Kerim,

President of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of

Macedonia

tHE uNItED NAtIONs AND tHE RePubliC Of MaCedOnia

opinion


maceDonia in focus

of Macedonia at the time, who addressed the UN General Assem-bly on that occasion, and for the first time in the UN history, in the Macedonian language.

In fact, the relations of the Republic of Macedonia with the UN started before 8 April 1993, with the adoption of the Security Council’s Resolution 743 of 21 February 1992 and Resolution 795 of 11 December 1992 on launching the first UN peacekeeping mis-sion called United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) with the aim of maintaining the stability and integrity of the Republic of Macedonia.

The mandate of this peacekeeping mission was prolonged with the Security Council’s Resolution 983 of 31 March 1995 and was renamed to UNPREDEP (United Nations Preventive Deployment Force). Its aim was “watching and reporting about the situation in the border areas of the Republic of Macedonia that could undermine the country’s confidence and stability and threaten its territory.”

The UN peacekeeping mission successfully fulfilled the task of watching the border and preventing a spillover of the conflict from the territory of former Yugoslavia and arms trafficking. In this regard, it is especially worth mentioning that the USA made an exception by sending its own military contingent as part of the UN Blue Helmets. It is quite certain that the US presence played a key role not just psychologically but also militarily and politically in averting any attempt at threatening the northern border and the territorial integrity of the Republic of Macedonia.

The problematic and misfortunate decision to recognize Taiwan had fatal consequences for this mission’s fate because with the use of the right to veto by the People’s Republic of China at the Security Council the mission ended in 1999.

Despite this mistaken foreign policy move taken based on bad diplomatic judgments, in the same period, between 1994 and 1999, Macedonia also appeared in the role of a constructive stakeholder and provider of peace and stability in the Balkans and Southeast Europe within the framework of the UN. In this period, since the General Assembly’s 48th Session onward, it was at the initiative and proposal of the Republic of Macedonia that the UN General Assembly adopted a number of resolutions on promoting good neighborly relations in the Balkans and stability and development in Southeast Europe for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security. This can undoubtedly be regarded as a tangible and notable contribution from the Republic of Macedonia to the UN commitment to keeping global peace and security. This is all the more important considering that the UN General Assembly has been passing the resolution of peace and security in Southeast Europe to date.

In this context, it is particularly worth mentioning the Security Council’s Resolution 1371 of 26 September 2001, which, inter alia, upholds the policy of the Republic of Macedonia of promoting mul-tiethnic relations, the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, as well as the responsibility of the Security Council to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Macedonia and condemn any use of force in pursuing political goals. The pass-ing of this Resolution has had far-reaching implications for the status and role of the Republic of Macedonia in the UN because putting Macedonia on the agenda for debate of the Security Coun-cil because of the conflict of 2001 was thus avoided.

In the period after 2001, the role of the Republic of Macedonia as a UN member state gradually expanded in several respects.

Through activities in the area of international funding and sustain-able growth, the country tried not only to avoid the danger of being treated and seen at the UN as consumer of their crisis management but also to promote itself as a constructive stakeholder in the UN system taking up the role of a vice-chair of the International Con-ference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico, in March 2002, and vice-chair of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in September 2002.

Important decisions were taken in Monterrey from the point of view of raising and using financial resources effectively with the aim of creating national and international economic conditions indispensable for the attainment of the internationally harmonized development goals including the Millennium Development Goals, such as elimination of poverty, improving social conditions, raising the standard of living and protecting the environment.

The Summit in Johannesburg resulted in undertaking of respon-sibilities by the UN member states about providing access to safe water, suitable living conditions, and renewable sources of energy, all of which was in the service of providing sustainable development.

The Republic of Macedonia was also the initiator and organizer of the Regional Forum on Dialogue among Civilizations in Ohrid 2003 held under President Boris Trajkovski’s auspices. In addition to the fact that the heads of state of Southeast Europe took active part in the forum, its international significance also rested in the fact that the countries of the region undertook to encourage the culture of dialogue, tolerance and peace based on mutual cooperation.

In the course of these two decades of Macedonia’s UN member-ship, diplomats from the Republic of Macedonia filled certain high-ly relevant offices. Ambassador Ivan Tosevski was member and, for a certain period of time, chairman of the UN Commission on Hu-man Rights in Geneva. Ambassador Goce Petreski was chairman of the UN Economic and Finance Committee (Second Committee) at the 50th Session of the General Assembly (1995/1996) and chair-man of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (1997). In the capacity of permanent representative of the Republic of Macedonia to the UN in 2001-2003, I was appointed vice-chair-man of the conferences in Monterrey and Johannesburg. Also, Han Seung-soo of South Korea, President of the 56th Session of the UN General Assembly, appointed me as facilitator in the discussion on the General Assembly Revitalization in 2001 and 2002.

Undoubtedly, the highest achievement of the Republic of Mace-donia and the Macedonian diplomacy on a global scale is the elec-tion of a Macedonian diplomat as President of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly. The UN member states appointed me President of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly unanimously on 24 May 2007. That was a remarkable moment for the Macedonian state and diplomacy and for me personally taking into account that the position I was given is the highest in the UN system. In this regard, I need to stress that the election was made with unanimous support from the Eastern European Group to which Macedonia belongs alongside 22 more countries. Also, it is extremely significant that the five permanent members of the Secu-rity Council (USA, China, Russia, Great Britain and France) gave their full support to the election of a representative of the Republic of Macedonia as President of the General Assembly. Yet the most important of all is that the agenda and priorities of the 62nd Session put forward by Macedonia – UN reform, climate change, fighting terrorism, attaining the Millennium Development Goals and fund-


maceDonia in focus

ing development – received complete endorsement and full support from the UN member states.

The 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly closely focused on development. Hence, a number of debates on sustainable de-velopment from the point of view of climate change, attaining the Millennium Development Goals and funding development were held. Notable progress in management reform was also made. It is significant that an open, transparent and strategic dialogue was conducted for the first time on what needed to be done to make the UN more efficient. An added value in the work of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly was the thematic debates put on the General Assembly’s agenda for the first time. Aside from climate change, the General Assembly debated for the first time such issues as human security and human trafficking. The interconnected-ness of security, development, and human rights are at the core of human security. The interaction of these three mainstays of the system and policies of the UN was the principal conclusion of the member states’ debate.

Taking into consideration the nature of the problem it was con-cluded that it was vitally important for every country to combat hu-man trafficking and in this regard to make sure the implementation of the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols on prevention, containment and punishment of human trafficking was accelerated.

One of the novelties introduced to the General Assembly at its 62nd Session was by all means the inclusion of the civil society, the non-governmental organizations, the parliamentarians, the private sector, the media, and notable figures from the worlds of science, culture, and art. Celebrities, such as Ted Turner, the owner of CNN, Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin, George Clooney, Daryl Hannah, Ashley Judd, and Angelina Jolie to mention but a few, appearing in the capacity of philanthropists, donors and active advocates of the UN also helped promote the key issues of the UN agenda in the broader international public and media.

In order to strengthen dialogue and promote inter-religious and inter-cultural understanding and cooperation for peace, at one of the most remarkable moments of the 62nd Session, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI gave confirmation to these principles as the foundation of the people’s welfare in his address to the General Assembly.

One of the most momentous accomplishments of the 62nd Ses-sion of the General Assembly was the progress made in relation to the reform of the Security Council through the Resolution passed on the last day of the 62nd Session. After 15 years of debate, differ-ences and conflicts, a unanimous decision was taken to open ne-gotiations on the Security Council reform at the General Assembly rather than to conduct talks at the level of the Open-ended Work-ing Group as had been the case until then.

Immediately after ending its presidency of the UN General As-sembly, the Republic of Macedonia came up against an extremely important challenge within the UN system.

Because of the flagrant breach of the Interim Accord of 13 Sep-tember 1995 by the Hellenic Republic, the Republic of Macedonia decided to launch a lawsuit before the International Court of Justice in The Hague in November 2008. An immediate motive for taking this decision was the veto that Greece used at the NATO Summit in Bucharest in April 2008 with the aim of preventing Macedonia’s membership of the North-Atlantic Alliance. What Greece did was in contravention to Article 11 of the Interim Accord by which Greece undertook to not object to Macedonia’s membership or ap-

plication for membership of international, multilateral and regional organizations and institutions of which Greece is also a member.

In the evaluation of the application of the Republic of Mace-donia before the International Court of Justice, it should be taken into account firstly that the Interim Accord is the only proper legal framework regulating the relations between the two countries; secondly, that Greece recognizes the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Macedonia within its internationally recog-nized borders; and thirdly, that the Interim Accord is the only legal framework accepted by both parties for continuation of the negotiations under the auspices of the UN General Assembly in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 845 (1993) with the aim of reaching an agreement over the differences set forth in paragraph 2 of UN Security Council Resolution 817 (1993).

In accordance with the UN Charter, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is one UN’s chief bodies. It was established as an au-thority responsible to settle disputes between states and to provide advice on legal matters. The statute of the ICJ is an integral part of the UN Charter and so all UN member states are ipso facto mem-bers of it.

In December 2011, the ICJ took decisions according to which:– The Court has jurisdiction to decide on the case– Greece breached its responsibilities set forth in Article 11, p. 1

of the Interim Accord signed on 13 September 1995– Greece is expected not to contravene international law in the

future– Greece’s objections in regard the alleged interference of the

Court with NATO’s jurisdiction and the breach of the In-terim Accord by the Republic of Macedonia are rejected.

Nevertheless, one cannot expect the Security Council to change its already assumed positions on this issue set forth in Resolutions 817 and 845 of 1993 under the influence of the ICJ’s decisions and recommendations. In this way, this case, too, confirms one of the un-written rules of the UN that the principal UN bodies defined by the Charter should refrain from interfering with each other’s decisions.

Only recently the Republic of Macedonia has been elected as a member of the Human rights Council for the period of 2014-2016 with 177 votes out of 193 member states. This result is a great suc-cess of Macedonian diplomacy and recognition for the Macedonian model of state and diplomacy.

If there is any point in inferring some kind of general conclu-sion based on the 2-decade experience of UN membership, then that conclusion will be that it is impossible not to notice the evident difference between the first decade, during which the Republic of Macedonia was more of a consumer of the UN crisis management, and the second decade, in the course of which the Republic of Macedonia transformed gradually and systematically into a con-structive stakeholder actively contributing to the UN instruments and policies thus promoting the UN Charter fundamental values.

Bridging the gap between the diverse and frequently conflicting interests of the countries within the framework of the international institutions has no alternative, as evidenced by the multiplication of the forms of multilateralism through the formation of alterna-tive institutional frameworks for international cooperation, such as G8, G20, APEC and BRICS. In fact, despite certain failures and setbacks, the United Nations and the other international organiza-tions have passed the historical test by preventing global conflicts and new world wars.


intervieW H.E. AMbASSAdoR WolFGANG IScHINGER,

cHAIRMAN oF tHE MUNIcH SEcURIty coNFERENcE

Macedonia TransforMed froM Security conSumer to Security

Provider in very Short time

Your Excellency, you have been the Chairman of the Munich Security Conference since 2008 and Global Head of Government Relations, Allianz SE, Munich. Over the past decades the Munich Security Conference has become the major security policy conference worldwide and the most important independent forum for the exchange of views by international security policy decision-makers. The 50th Munich Security Conference will take place from 31 January to 2 February 2014.

Can you tell us what security questions will be on its agenda?

The upcoming conference marks an extraordinary successful milestone. Proudly we look back to the beginning of this format and its founder Ewald von Kleist. His vision of an event gathering diplomats, politicians and high ranking military to discuss defence issues during the cold war was unique. The conference has not only changed its title over the decades but it has also become the outstanding international platform for global security issues. The 50th Munich Security Conference will be committed to both the vision of its founder and to discussing the burning issues of today’s global security. The ongoing civil war in Syria will be such a topic but also the development in the nuclear dispute with Iran because both are challenging our security interests. But besides the Middle East there are other regions of high interest. In Afghanistan NATO is going to end its ISAF mission. It can be seen as its first capstone exercise of the new millennium and the mandate of a follow up mission is becoming apparent.

The Munich Security Conference, joined by McKinesy & Company, has started a new initiative - a conference series on „The Future of the European Defense.“ Is Europe’s role of capable security actor at stake? Probably, the time to act is now?

The Future of European Defence is an initiative to support the process towards deeper European defence cooperation. That comprises core concerns such as joint military procurement, definition of core capabilities and the implications for the defence industry. The European states are still sustaining an inefficient fragmentation in both military and industrial capabilities. The unnecessary lack of co-operation and harmonization can be considered not only as inefficient but also as an ineffective use of resources. Hence the European “Pooling & Sharing” initiative is the right answer to diminish costs in declining defence budgets in order to come up to Europe’s growing responsibility. As former French Prime Minister François Fillon described it accurately: “We have to share our military and industrial capabilities” – for capability and financial reasons.

How do the armed forces have to be structured, especially in the context of reforms being under way in many countries so they can be completely or partly „European“ in the future, with the aim of getting European defense back on track?

Europe must preserve its defence skills, share sovereignty and uphold and restructure the defence market. It is clear that Europe will bear increasing responsibility for its own security. Today,

European taxpayers contribute about 390 EUR per inhabitant for security and defence. In the US, this amount is four times higher at about 1,680 EUR. In the medium term, our American friends will not always be able or willing to extend a helping hand in every situation. Europe is capable of fulfilling its responsibilities. But to do so, we must come together politically to drive both demand- and supply-side integration. European defence expenses are distributed over armed forces from more than 20 nations supplied by industries that are barely integrated and often below critical mass. Only about a quarter of these investments currently go to joint European programs – the rest is spent on a national basis. Yet this fragmentation continues to divide not only our industry, but also our policies. Therefore Europe – especially Germany, France, and Great Britain – should reach an agreement on three aspects of joint defence: Firstly, what strategic set of capabilities does Europe want to maintain? Secondly, the extension of shared sovereignty could comprise flexible arrangements for individual missions. And thirdly, Europe must make up its mind about how deep the market economy should impact the defence industry in order not to lose skills and knowledge.

Can the recently achieved agreement between Belgrade and Pristina serve as a model for providing a new impetus in solving the as yet unresolved issues in Southeast Europe, such as the name dispute between Greece and Macedonia being a major obstacle to Macedonian’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration?

maceDonia in focus


In the press“The term Balkans was a synonym for conflict and problems and here we are today in Macedonia, free and independent. Macedonia today is no longer a symbol of problems in the Balkans but a symbol of solutions,” former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on 3 October 2013.

“I am doing all I can because definitely I want Macedonia to open EU accession negotiations. My own and also the interest of the

EU and the country itself is that these negotiations begin,” Richard Howitt, Member of the European Parliament, said on 4 October 2013.

“Austria is going to follow what the European Commission has recommended for the fifth time – opening accession negotiations with Macedonia. Now is the time for you to take the necessary measures to provide security, stability and economic growth in our immediate neighborhood in the future,” Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said on 18 October 2013.

“Our political relations in the past two decades have become increasingly

more serious as evidenced by the mutual relations being at a very high level, the enhanced political trust and the progress in the mutual cooperation in various areas. China is ready to offer Macedonia a helping hand for faster development of our relations,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said on 22 October 2013.

“As before, so in the future, the Czech Republic is going to fully support the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Republic of Macedonia and is going to help by sharing concrete experience in meeting the procedure for faster integration into the European Union,” said Milan Štěch, President of the Senate of the Czech Republic, on 29 October 2013.

Former Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Milososki said in a statement right after the independence declaration of Kosovo in 2008 that this step marked the end of the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Almost all successor states of Yugoslavia have established good neighborly relations. I am very pleased that the mediation efforts of Lady Ashton have succeeded .This agreement provides the way for normalization of the relationship between the two states. This agreement characterized not only the will of both sides to find mutual solutions but also the historic steps of the two countries towards a common European future and the continued stabilization of Southeast Europe. I think this has proven Europe’s crisis management capacity. Of course every conflict is unique and this agreement can’t be seen as a general blueprint. Nevertheless it provides important problem solving principles such as the will for compromise, mutual respect and solutions on good terms. The consideration of those principles provides a solid base to overcome the last unsolved problems because the European perspective - laid down at the Thessaloniki summit ten years ago - remains still open for the countries of the Western Balkans. But everything has its price. With regard to regional stability it is necessary to prepare a political solution which will take into account any pending problems in the region, to address

the dispute about the denomination of Macedonia and overdue reforms in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The Greek-Macedonian name dispute is a global and regional security issue and finding a solution to it is in the interest of the region and the global security, said UN mediator Matthew Nimetz during his visit to the Republic of Macedonia in February 2012. Your Excellency, how do you asses the security dimension of this longstanding and imposed bilateral question?

The name dispute between the two neighboring countries lasts now for more than two decades. The efforts of UN Special Envoy Cyrus Vance culminated in 1995 in the Interim Accord which provides a solid base for talks and a mutual solution. This was several times reiterated by Matthew Nimetz. Even if Macedonia wasn’t invited in 2008 to become a NATO member at the Bucharest Summit, it is significantly contributing to regional and global security. Macedonia was the “safe haven” for KFOR and is still a logistic hub for NATO. Macedonia is contributing troops to the EUFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to ISAF in Afghanistan. The Republic of Macedonia has in an extremely short time transformed itself from a security consumer in the 1990’s and especially in the aftermath of

the 2001 internal conflict into a reliable security provider and a contributor to security in the Western Balkans.

In your Interview with Bayern 2 Radiowelt, you have welcomed the new rhetoric in the dispute concerning Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and especially Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s constructive speech at the UN General Assembly. What about worries and interests of Israel and the Gulf states during upcoming negotiations between Washington and Teheran in this regard?

The speech of new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ought to be followed by confidence building steps in order to turn it into action and to commit to the demands of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the UN Security Council. The parties should learn from the diplomatic mission of Henry Kissinger who achieved a rapprochement of Washington and Beijing at the beginning of the 1970’s. The difficult relationship between the USA and Iran requires a sensitive approach. Besides the nuclear capabilities of Iran, a rising Iranian influence in the region and especially in the Sunnite states as an outcome of an US-Iranian agreement could also be a source of concern in the region. This shouldn’t be forgotten during the forthcoming negotiations between Washington and Iran.

maceDonia in focus


Diplomacy anD community

Mr. Ambassador, the Republic of Austria and the Republic of Macedonia nourish traditionally good diplomatic ties. Could you please give us your assessment of the bilateral relations and the opportunities and need for their further enhancement in all areas of mutual interest?

Austria and Macedonia enjoy rich bilateral relations, politically as well as in the economic and cultural sectors. Our political relations should be viewed from a regional perspective, as it is our firm belief and clear commitment that the European project will only be completed once all the countries in the region have become full members of the European Union. Therefore, our frequent bilateral gatherings are primarily focusing on Macedonia’s EU aspirations, of which Austria remains one of the strongest supporters. We continuously believe that the recommendation by the European Commission, which was reiterated throughout four consecutive years, to open accession negotiations with Macedonia, should finally be honoured. We are, of course, aware of the pending name question and the problems it generated. However, our view prevails that this issue should not impede the opening of negotiations, because we believe that they could, in a more conducive way, contribute to achieving a lasting solution.

The Republic of Macedonia, due to its favorable conditions, is the most attractive destination to foreign investments in the region. What is the interest of Austrian companies in more

direct investments in the Republic of Macedonia?

Investment is only one side of the medal. External trade is equally important and is also creating employment. But yes, I am sure that there will be new Austrian investments in Macedonia. Austria has very heavily invested in the service sector, including banks, insurances, mobile operators, etc. As the purchasing power of the Macedonian people increases, there will for sure be more Austrian service companies investing in Macedonia. I assume, for instance, that tourism might be one of these industries with high potential.

The idea of forming a Macedonian-Austrian Business Association (MABA) is a result of the long-standing excellent communication between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Austria and their business interests. The Association also enriched its programme with activities of humanitarian character, thereby turning a new page for enhancing relations between the two countries. What does it refer to?

MABA was founded in order to create a link between resident Austrian companies and Macedonian enterprises interested in cooperating with Austria. Of course MABA is also interested in making public appearances by setting humanitarian activities, which is also the case with different Austrian enterprises.

Austria’s economy, according to official statistics, suffered insignificant damage from the economic crisis that started in 2009 and which is still troubling the strongest European economies. What are the reasons for the stability of the Austrian economy and the success in tackling the challenges posed by the global economic crisis?

We are proud that even throughout the crisis Austria remained the country with the lowest unemployment rate in Europe, especially with regard to youth unemployment. One of the reasons is that Austria is successfully applying a dual education system for vocational training. In addition, the Austrian economic business landscape is dominated by medium and small-sized companies, the vast majority of which are not being listed on any stock exchange. Especially these companies pursue a risk-averse long-term business strategy, thus making them more immune against external shocks like an international financial and economic crisis. Besides, Austria has a strong industrial base, creating high-quality jobs. Many Western countries are now talking about a need for “re-industrialization” or “re-shoring” of off-shored industries. Austria never let go of its strong industrial sector.

In honor of the Macedonian-Austrian cultural cooperation, an exhibition of paintings by renowned Austrian artist Leopold Forstner was staged in Skopje recently within whose framework a concert was held by pianist Elena Misirkova, Ambassador of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of Austria. What cultural events aiming to foster the cultural cooperation between the two countries are planned for the near future?

Many of Leopold Forstner’s drawings reflect impressions he gained in the Western Balkans during World War One. Some of these works we showed at our exhibition. Next year we plan to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of this disastrous conflict by engaging in discussions with internationally renowned historians from Macedonia as well as from Austria and from other European countries. At the

ec recoMMendation For oPening accession taLks Should Finally be honored

intervieW

H.E. Dr. Thomas Michael BaiEr, ambassador of the republic of austria to the republic of Macedonia


Diplomacy anD community

same time we shall be further pursuing our bilateral cultural cooperation with a strong commitment to interethnic cooperation. Furthermore, we will continue our well established cooperation with the Holocaust Memorial Center for the Jews of Macedonia.

Your Excellency, you were appointed Austrian Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia on 25 November 2011. What

are your impressions of the Republic of Macedonia, its citizens, culture, natural attractions and tourist potentials?

From my first day on I have been attracted by the hospitality of the Macedonian people, their openness and their easy-going way, which makes working together straightforward and pleasant. Whereas I am impressed by the multitude of cultural heritage, I am also attracted by

the considerable potential for cultural innovation. Indeed, Macedonia’s natural and cultural attractions hold considerable tourist perspectives. They also place upon your country the responsibility of safeguarding this richness for future generations. I am happy that Austria is among those partners of Macedonia that engage in promoting education for sustainable tourism.

H.E. Mr. Martin BEzak, ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic

H.E. Ms. Latifa akHaRBacH, ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the kingdom of Morocco, resident in Sofia

MDB would like to extend a warm welcome and wish a successful mission in the Republic of Macedonia to:

CElEbrAtION OF 28tH OCtObEr, natiOnal day Of

CzeCh RePubliC

On the occasion of the National Day of the Czech Republic, 28 October, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Skopje organized a reception attended by numerous guests

and almost the entire Czech community in Macedonia. Also, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Skopje along with the Embassy of the Republic of Austria organized two con-certs with the performance of pianist Emma Schmidt, violoncellist Bledar Zajmi and mezzo soprano Michaela Kapustová on 19 September at the Centre of Culture in Tetovo and on 21 September in the capital city Skopje at the Macedonian Opera and Ballet. As all pro-tagonists are world calibre artists, the concert achieved quite a positive response and wide reception among the musically educated audience.

HuNGArIAN NAtIONAl DAy

CelebRated neaR MaRkOV ManastiR

On the occasion of Hungary’s National Day, 23 October, the Hungarian Embassy hosted a reception near Markov Manastir. The festive commemoration was hosted by

the Hungarian Ambassador to Macedonia, Dr. József Bence. Numerous members of the Telecottage Association of Hungarians in Macedonia also attended together with a good number of local spectators and representatives of the diplomatic community. The festive event was spiced up by a dance show performed by local award-winning dancers and an exhibition titled “Hungary at a Glance”. Young members of the Telecottage Association sang emblematic historical songs in Hungarian. The reception offered traditional Hungar-ian culinary treats prepared by a Hungarian chéf shutteled to Macedonia especially for the great occasion.

GErMAN uNIty day MaRked

October 3, German Unity Day, was celebrated this year at the Bellevue Hotel where Ger-man Ambassador Gudrun Steinacker hosted a reception for about 600 guests - Mace-

donian officials, including Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski, businessmen and other dignitaries from the fields of culture, education and the civil sector.

NAtIONAl DAy OF sPain ObseRVed

On 14 October, at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Skopje, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain, H.E. Fernando de Galainena, and his wife Mrs. Teresa de Galainena Walten-

berger hosted a reception on the occasion of 12 October, the National Day of Spain, wel-coming numerous guests, including government officials, Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki, foreign diplomats, representatives of the civil society and Spanish nationals.

AustrIAN EMbAssy CelebRates

natiOnal day

The Ambassador of the Republic of Austria hosted a reception in the foyer of the Mace-donian Opera and Ballet on 28 October to mark 26 October, National Day of the

Republic of Austria. Approximately 300 guests attended the reception, including Deputy Prime Ministers Fatmir Besimi and Musa Xhaferi, Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki, De-fense Minister Talat Xhaferi and British MEP Richard Howitt.


Living abroad is a major challenge requiring a serious approach to the

resolution of pending problems. I am not going to be telling about my private life but about my professional life instead. I found myself among people who knew nothing about me and to whom I had to present myself – who I was, where I came from and what I stood for as an artist – which was of course essential in creating conditions for survival and future growth. My wife, a soprano, and I felt a great urge to find a smooth and natural way of presenting the Macedonian musical culture without imposing ourselves.

When meeting our new friends, we always tried to tell them about Macedonia’s rich history and of course one of the best ways to do that was to include works by Macedonian composers in our performances. It happened several times yet the pinnacle for me was the concert at which I conducted works by contemporary Canadian and Macedonian composers. No matter where you are, performing contemporary composers is always risky because you can never be sure whether and how that music is received. What I thought would help was to explain before performing every piece what that music was, which paved the way for the acceptance of something completely new. The audience took interest and was content for knowing exactly what they heard and what that

particular piece of music was composed for. Whenever my wife Aleksandra and I performed Macedonian songs by eminent Macedonian composers, the beauty of the melody and the characteristic harmony always managed to capture the attention of the audience which invariably resulted in success.

We have lived in Canada for ten years now and at the moment I am the conductor of two orchestras. One of them is the Huronia Symphony Orchestra in Berry, the city we live in, and the other is the Hart House Chamber Strings in Toronto, which is part of the University of Toronto. In a single season, we prepare various programs spanning periods from the Baroque to the 21st century. It is truly rewarding to be working with these orchestras since their enthusiasm and desire for progress is inexhaustible. The feeling is one of being a member of a family in which everyone wants to help the other. A wonderful and relaxing feeling. At present, we are starting preparations for the Christmas concert in December. Getting ready for this concert is quite interesting since we all get into a Christmas mood at every rehearsal and reach the culmination on the day of the concert. Happy working indeed!

We need to prepare four more programs by the end of this season performing music by Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Fauré, Dvořák and many others.

In 2014, a biennial choir festival takes place at which the Huronia Symphony Orchestra and the choirs of the city of Berry will be performing massive vocal and instrumental pieces. This is a rare opportunity for all major ensembles in this city to cooperate and contribute to Berry’s cultural life.

Despite all these professional responsibilities, my wife and I managed to establish our own private music school, Maestro Music Center, in which we have the opportunity to continue our educational activities grooming new talents and promoting music as an important part of life.

I believe music is the most universal language for promotion and presentation of every culture. It helps to share feelings and present a certain cultural achievement in a natural and magnificent way. Canada is a country offering great opportunities for promotion of the Macedonian culture and I hope that one day the Macedonian Opera and Ballet, the institution where I had been working for 14 years, will have the opportunity to present itself to the Canadian audience. There is no better feeling than expecting something beautiful to occur in the future. Therefore I hope that in the next season, 2014-2015, we are going to offer an even more interesting program and are going to draw keener interest in beautiful music.

from My angle

CANADA OFFErs GrEAt OPPORtunities fOR PROMOtiOn Of MaCedOnian CultuRe

Mr. Oliver BalaBurski,Conductor

tAbErNAkul AwArD PrEsENtED tO ORhan PaMuk

Turkish Nobel Prize Winner Orhan Pamuk and Russian dissident Viktor Erofeev are this year’s winners of the

international literary award of the Tabernakul publishing house presented for the second time. The decision was

taken by a jury consisting of Milan Kundera and Ljubivoje Ršumović, as recipients of last year’s award, philosopher Ferid Muhik, writers Goran Stefanovski and Venko Andonovski and Tabernakul’s director Cvetan Vrazivirski.

eXperience maceDonia


srGjAN kErIM rECEIvEs

11 OCtObeR natiOnal aWaRd

rIstO sIskOv tHEAtEr AwArD

gOes tO nikO gORšič Of slOVenia

Slovenian actor Niko Goršič is the laureate of the 21st Risto Siskov Chamber Theater Festival held in Strumica on 8 to 13 September. Goršič won the Risto Siskov Acting

Award for his performance in the monodrama “The Chairs” by Eugène Ionesco, a production of Mini Theater of Slovenia.

MACEDONIA HAs WORld’s best

aCCORdiOn PlayeR

Aleksandar Kolovski won the top prize in senior competition for variete music at the 38th world competition in Castelfidardo, Italy. Considering that two years ago

Kolovski won the top prize for classical music, he has won the world’s best title four times. This accordion competition is regarded as the best in Italy. It is held as part of the

Castelfidadrdo festival, which marked its 150th anniversary this year. The best known factories making accordions of the best brands, such as Armando Bugari, Pigini, Balone Burini, and ZeroSette, are also located in Castelfidardo.

MACEDONIA aWaRded at filM

festiVal in JahORina

At the international film festival dedicated to tourism and environmental protection held in Jahorina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, at which over 80 films from 20 countries

were shown, Macedonia participated with eight documentary and promotional films, four of which won prestigious awards.

On the occasion of 11 October, Macedonian National Uprising Day,

the 11 October National Award 2013 was presented to Srgjan Kerim, economist and diplomat, for life achievements in the fields of science and education, Reshat Ameti for life achievements in art and culture, Dragoslav Argirovski for life achievements in journalism and publishing.

The Macedonian National Uprising Day was celebrated with a gala ceremony at the Macedonian National Theater in

the attendance of Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov.

On the occasion of 23 October, Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle, the 23 October National Award 2013 in the field of culture and art was presented to Ana

Durlovski, opera singer with international career, Xhabir Ahmeti and Mihail Rendzov, writers and translators, and fine artist Stavre Dimitrov-Stadim.

23 OCtObEr natiOnal aWaRd

eXperience maceDonia

32ND skOPjE Jazz festiVal With an evening dedicated to the Brit-

ish jazz and the 20th anniversary of the Macedonian-British friendship, the 32nd Skopje Jazz Festival opened on 17 October. For five days the audience enjoyed the performances of the world’s best known jazz musicians, including sax player Evan Parker, Zlatko Kaučič, Slove-nia’s most accomplished and well-travelled improviser, the band Get the Blessing (declared best in England a few times over the past few years), the duo Sidsel Endre-

sen and Stian Westerhus of Norway, the Abercrombie Quarter of the USA, jazz icon Roscoe Mitchell, legendary jazz singer Casandra Wilson with the Harriet Tumban music collective, and Dave Holland, one of the best bassist in the history of jazz.

The project “Balkan Fever” featuring Vlatko Stefanovski, Miroslav Tadic and Theodosii Spassov performing together with the Macedonian Philharmonic Or-chestra conducted by Estonian-American Kristjan Järvi premiered at the festival. The

project “Illusions” by Ibrahim Maalouf, a Paris trumpeter of Lebanese descent, and his 8-member band were part of the pro-gram as well.

The band of Reut Regev, a trombon-ist and composer of Israel, Nicola Conte Combo, trumpeter Peter Ewans and his Zebulon trio, as well as the quartet consist-ing of Brazilian trumpeter Rob Mazurek and São Paulo Underground, performed as part of the Jazz Festival’s after-midnight program.

One of the most important events in the field of culture is the New German Cinema Festival whose 9th edition was held

under the motto “I Love Film” in nine cities across Macedonia. The audience interest in this festival, boasting all film genres and productions for every generation, is rising by the year.

In October, the Embassy had a meeting with a group of students of Eastern European studies from Munich and Augsburg who visited Macedonia as part of their study program.

A group of young people from the organization “Young European Federalists” from the Baden- Württemberg, following closely the situation in the region, also paid a visit to Macedonia.

As every year, this October, too, the recipients of the International Parliamentary Scholarships from the German Bundestag granted in cooperation with the three Berlin universities were also selected. In Macedonia, this program is sponsored by

Trajko Veljanoski, Speaker of the Macedonian Parliament.

In the area economy, or small projects to be more specific, the Embassy presented donations to the Slavejko Arsov Primary School in Stip (newly fitted classrooms for Biology, Chemistry, Math, Physics, History and Geography of 5,5000 euros) and to the Institute for Rehabilitation of Children and Adolescents in Skopje (an industrial dishwasher, a refrigerator and chairs of 4,900 euros).

my Diary

octoBer – a month of neW geRMan CineMa festiVal and dOnatiOns


Under Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki’s sponsorship, the 17th Diplomatic Tennis Tournament took place on the courts of the ABC Tennis Club in

Skopje on 5 October. Staff from the Embassies of the USA, the Russian Federation, Austria, Bulgaria, the Slovak Republic, the EU Delegation and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia competed for the title.

Champions in the men’s doubles were Osvit Rosoklija from the Macedonian Foreign Ministry and Gerald Pelabauer from the Embassy of the Republic of Aus-tria, while Metodija Belevski from the Macedonian Foreign Ministry and Stefano Lazzarotto , Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation, were runners-up. Alma Cum-belik won the title in the women’s singles, beating Sandra Ismailovic in the final.

tWenty years of cooperation aRe Just beginning Of lasting and tRue fRiendshiP

Germany is these days focused on itself. Elections were held on 22 September, as coalition negotiations are currently be-

ing held. For a month, the victorious sister parties of the Union scanned what they have in common with the Social Democrats (SPD) and with the Green Party. They chose SPD as a coalition partner they feel closer to. Polls revealed that voters preferred a blanket coalition and both parties accepted their wish. People opted for a peaceful life. They do not want the “European storms.” When there is agreement between the two major people’s parties, they may be at peace as well. In recent years, Germany has become the center of Europe, its navel, a pulsating core of the Union both po-litically and economically. German elections are not a local event. They are a European event to say the least. With Merkel polling 42 percent of the vote on 22 September, Germany sent a message later that evening to all its partners in Europe and beyond that the baton for how the situation continued to unfold in the Union remained firmly in its hand. Reactions were divided. While the European north breathed a sigh of relief, the south frowned. However, they are all aware that the policy of structural reform and thriftiness with measures fostering growth and infrastructure investments are the recipe for the Union’s consolidation and mustering of new strength for the coming challenges, enlargement being one of them.

Germany is very important to the whole region of Southeast Europe. Relations established far before every country declared independence grew stronger with the establishment of bilateral ties following Yugoslavia’s dis-integration and each country found in Germany an important economic part-ner and political co-player. Bilaterally, there are no pending issues between Skopje and Berlin as those popping up along the way are being closed just as fast with mutual understanding. The political dialogue is excellent. In the first half of the year, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle visited Macedonia and his Macedonia counterpart Nikola Poposki paid a return visit shortly after. Trade is on the rise, as direct investments in the past four years scaled up eight notches to top the list. Cultural ties are so well built that they need no external push. And not all fields of cooperation have been exhausted. We are thankful for the German support, openness and dedication. Twenty years of cooperation are just the beginning of a lasting and true friendship.

H.E. Mrs. kornelija UtEvSka-GLiGOROvSka, ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia to the Federal Republic of Germany.

17tH DIPlOMAtIC tENNIs tOurNAMENt held at abC tennis Club

H.E. Mrs. Gudrun ELiSaBEtH StEinackER, ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Macedonia.

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