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| Albin Kurti while meeting Albanians in Tetovo |
The recent events in North Macedonia have led to debates and criticisms within Macedonian political parties and among high-ranking state officials following the visit of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, on Friday in Cair, Skopje, and Tetovo. Macedonian political factors view Mr. Kurti's presentation as nationalistic due to his display of the flag of "Greater Albania" during his speech in Tetovo in front of thousands of supporters, VOA reports.
Meanwhile, the naming of a street in the municipality of Cair after activist Adem Demaçi, an event attended by Mr. Kurti, has also sparked dissatisfaction among Macedonians due to the "changing of names without broad interethnic consensus."
The road was previously named "2nd Macedonian Assault Brigade."
President Stevo Pendarovski initially reacted through a Facebook post on Sunday, describing the rally in Tetovo as "provocative nationalist iconography with chauvinistic ideas that ignite ethnic hatred and encourage discord." He further writes that this way, "the fundamental principles of the Ohrid Agreement and of North Macedonia as a multi-ethnic state are attacked."
The Macedonian President is calling for the organizers of the gatherings in Tetovo and Cair to be held accountable, stating that they "ignored entirely the legal provisions regarding the use of the state flag, anthem, and flags and symbols of communities."
Regarding the naming of the "Adem Demaçi" street, Pendarovski expresses that the manner and execution of renaming the road contradict the principles of democratic debate and the respect for the historical heritage of all communities within the state. He expects authorized structures to verify whether the principle of double majority (qualified) has been respected, which includes the votes of non-majority communities when deciding on changing the name of the road. In the municipality of Cair in Skopje, Albanians constitute over 60 percent of the population.
The Macedonian opposition led by VMRO-DPMNE blames the government led by the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) for allowing the reception of Mr. Kurti and criticizes President Pendarovski for his delayed reaction.
Hristijan Mickovski, leader of VMRO-DPMNE, writes on social media that Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski voted in a government session to change the names of roads, accusing him of betraying Macedonian interests and the people.
"Your act of patriotism and your opposition servants have no shade, as there is no betrayal after which your signature stands," writes Mickovski.
On the other hand, SDSM accuses VMRO of allowing the name changes through its informal partners. "Mickovski and DPMNE are the organizers of events in Skopje and Tetovo. Bilall Kasami became the mayor of Tetovo with the support of VMRO-DPMNE, and their collaboration continues in the Municipal Council, Parliament, and other areas," says an SDSM statement.
During his visit to Skopje and Tetovo, the Prime Minister of Kosovo did not meet with government officials but was received by three leaders of Albanian opposition parties. In Tetovo, he spoke among other things about the importance of a road connecting Prizren to Tetovo through a tunnel in the Sharr Mountain. He also emphasized that North Macedonia should draw closer to Kosovo, Albania, and Bulgaria and move further from Serbia to approach the European Union.