MP Grubi expects President Ivanov, VMRO-DPMNE to support language law

Skopje, 11 January 2018 – The adoption of the Law on the Use of Languages concludes the normative aspect of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, MP Artan Grubi said Thursday.

“Fifteen years after the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, today’s adoption of the law on languages marked the conclusion of the normative aspect of this peace treaty that put an end to the 2001 war. Thus, today is a successful day and I congratulate all citizens on their courageous approach to complete this peace agreement. All we have to do now is to implement everything that has been adopted in Parliament,” stated MP Grubi of DUI, the government coalition partner.

He said he expected the opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, being one of the signatories of the Ohrid Accord, to back the law. VMRO-DPMNE MPs didn’t attend today’s session.

According to Grubi, Macedonia, its society will benefit from the law by becoming more cohesive, inter-ethnic relations will become more relaxed and it will help close many issues stemming from the Framework Agreement.

Unless President Gjorge Ivanov, he said, decides against signing the bill, this move would be against the Framework Agreement. In that case, the law would be returned in Parliament for a re-vote. “I call on President Ivanov to become part of the successful story of concluding the Ohrid Framework Agreement by signing the decree, thus contributing to a more stable society where all citizens are equal,” stated MP Grubi.

According to him, all MPs, both ruling and opposition deputies, should support reform-oriented laws, because ‘the reform agenda is not an agenda of the government, it is the agenda of the country.’

Furthermore, MP Fadil Zendeli of the opposition party Besa said his party supported the law on the use of languages even though it failed in making the use of Albanian language official.

“Besa has already announced it would support the law, even though we have some remarks about it. We believe this law doesn’t make the Albanian language official, it only allows certain improvements to be made regarding the use of Albanian in state institutions,” said Zendeli.