Ohrid Agreement
Encyclopedia
The Ohrid Framework Agreement was the peace deal signed by the government
of the Republic of Macedonia
and ethnic Albanian
representatives on August 13, 2001. The agreement ended the armed conflict between the National Liberation Army
and the Macedonian security forces and set the groundwork for improving the rights of ethnic Albanians.
The Agreement also included provisions for altering the official languages of the country, with any language spoken by over 20% of the population becoming co-official with the Macedonian language
on municipal level. Currently only Albanian
with an approximate 25% of the population fulfils this criterion.
. The talks took place in Ohrid
in the south-west of Macedonia
.
The agreement was negotiated by Zoran Jolevski
, Secretary General of President Boris Trajkovski
. The Macedonian side was represented by the VMRO-DPMNE and the SDSM, while the Albanian side was represented by the DPA
and the PDP
. Although actively participating in armed conflict, the National Liberation Army did not participate directly in the talks.
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
of the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
and ethnic Albanian
Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia
Albanians are the largest ethnic minority in the Republic of Macedonia. Of the 2,022,547 citizens of Macedonia, 509,083, or 25%, are Albanian according to the latest national census in 2002. The Albanian minority lives mostly in the north-western part of the country...
representatives on August 13, 2001. The agreement ended the armed conflict between the National Liberation Army
National Liberation Army (Macedonia)
The National Liberation Army , also known as the Macedonian UÇK, was a militant organization that operated in the Republic of Macedonia in 2001 and was closely associated with the Kosovo Liberation Army ....
and the Macedonian security forces and set the groundwork for improving the rights of ethnic Albanians.
The Agreement also included provisions for altering the official languages of the country, with any language spoken by over 20% of the population becoming co-official with the Macedonian language
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
on municipal level. Currently only Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
with an approximate 25% of the population fulfils this criterion.
History
The Agreement was preceded by the Ohrid discussions, a series of talks between Albanian and Macedonian representatives, along with representatives from the United States and European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. The talks took place in Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
in the south-west of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
The agreement was negotiated by Zoran Jolevski
Zoran Jolevski
H.E. Ph.D. Zoran Jolevski is a Macedonian diplomat and the ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia to the United States of America. In November 2008, he was appointed chief negotiator to the Macedonia naming dispute, and beginning 2011 he was appointed Ambassador to the United Mexican States and...
, Secretary General of President Boris Trajkovski
Boris Trajkovski
Trajkovski died on 26 February 2004 in a plane crash en route to an economic conference in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aircraft crashed in thick fog and heavy rain on a mountainside in southeastern Herzegovina, near the villages of Huskovici and Rotimlja some eight miles south-south-east...
. The Macedonian side was represented by the VMRO-DPMNE and the SDSM, while the Albanian side was represented by the DPA
Democratic Party of Albanians
The Democratic Party of Albanians or DPA is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. The DPA is a merger of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Albanians and the People's Democratic Party which took place in June 1997...
and the PDP
Party for Democratic Prosperity
The Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP is an ethnic Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia. The party was formed in April 1990 and is currently led by Abdyladi Vejseli....
. Although actively participating in armed conflict, the National Liberation Army did not participate directly in the talks.
Signatories of the Ohrid Agreement
- Boris TrajkovskiBoris TrajkovskiTrajkovski died on 26 February 2004 in a plane crash en route to an economic conference in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aircraft crashed in thick fog and heavy rain on a mountainside in southeastern Herzegovina, near the villages of Huskovici and Rotimlja some eight miles south-south-east...
– 2nd President of the Republic of Macedonia - Ljubco Georgievski – 3rd Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia
- Branko CrvenkovskiBranko CrvenkovskiBranko Crvenkovski leads the Republic of Macedonia's largest opposition party, the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia. He was Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2002 to 2004, then President of the Republic of Macedonia from 2004 to 2009.Crvenkovski was...
– 3rd President of the Republic of Macedonia, that time leader of SDSMSocial Democratic Union of MacedoniaThe Social Democratic Union of Macedonia is a centre-left political party in the Macedonia.It is the successor of the League of Communists of Macedonia, the ruling party during the communist regime which ruled SR Macedonia as a constituent republic of SFR Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1990. The current... - Arbën Xhaferri – Leader of DPADemocratic Party of AlbaniansThe Democratic Party of Albanians or DPA is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. The DPA is a merger of the Party for Democratic Prosperity of Albanians and the People's Democratic Party which took place in June 1997...
- Ymer Ymeri – Leader of PDPParty for Democratic ProsperityThe Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP is an ethnic Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia. The party was formed in April 1990 and is currently led by Abdyladi Vejseli....
- François LéotardFrançois LéotardFrançois Gerard Marie Léotard is a retired French politician. The late singer and actor Philippe Léotard was his brother....
– European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Mediator - James W. PardewJames W. PardewJames W. Pardew is an American diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria.He was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Pardew is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and earned a B.S. degree in Journalism at Arkansas State University in 1966 and an M.A. in Political Science at Loyola University of...
– United States Mediator