A statement by the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Elisa Spiropali, during her official visit to North Macedonia, has caused numerous reactions in public opinion and academic circles, due to the terminology used regarding the status of Albanians in this country.
During high-level meetings, Spiropali spoke of “reciprocity in the treatment of minorities,” mentioning the Albanians of North Macedonia in the same context as the Macedonian minority in Albania. This formulation was interpreted by some in the public opinion as a deviation from the legal and political reality, according to which the Albanians in North Macedonia are considered a state-forming population and a constitutional factor, in accordance with the Ohrid Framework Agreement.
In response to this statement, journalist and lawyer Dijana Toska publicly demanded an official clarification from the Albanian state institutions. She emphasized that Albanians in North Macedonia are not a minority, but constitute over 30 percent of the population and have a fundamental role in state-building and governance of the country. According to Toska, any relativization of this status constitutes a serious political and historical error, risking the legitimization of narratives that minimize the role of Albanians in this country.
"It is not about favor, but about respecting the real political and constitutional status of Albanians. Reciprocity applies between minorities, not between a minority and a state-forming people," her reaction states.
Meanwhile, a different approach was offered by university professor of constitutional law, Prof. Dr. sc. Jeton Shasivari, who believes that the request for clarification should not be addressed to Tirana, but to institutions and political parties in North Macedonia.
According to Shasivari, the use of the term “national minority” for Albanians in North Macedonia stems from an official declaration filed in 2004 by the then Government of Skopje at the Council of Europe, within the framework of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. In this declaration, the term “national minority” is also applied to Albanians, despite the fact that the Ohrid Agreement and the 2001 constitutional amendments do not use this terminology, but speak of “communities that are not in the majority.”
"This declaration was made by the then government to meet the deadlines for implementing the Ohrid Agreement and granted the status of a national minority to Albanians with an international and constitutional 'plug'," Shasivari emphasizes, adding that the main responsibility for this reality lies with local political actors.
The open debate following Spiropali's statement has brought to light the difference between the political reality of Albanians as a state-forming factor and the international legal frameworks that have been accepted by North Macedonia's own institutions. Meanwhile, the lack of an official clarification from the Albanian side has left room for different interpretations of Tirana's diplomatic line towards Albanians in the region.
The issue remains open between demands for respect for the political status of Albanians and legal realities inherited from previous institutional decisions, proving that the debate on representation and terminology is not yet closed. /Taken from INA
