Taravari: Would have been good if the amendment related to the usage of languages was accepted


The Alliance for Albanians will support the constitutional amendments, said party’s Secretary General Arben Travari.

Taravari, who also serves as Gostivar Mayor, is visiting Brussels and already held talks with EP Rapporteur for Macedonia Ivo Vajgl, as well as MEPs Eduard Kukan and Knut Fleckenstein.

Speaking about the ongoing process for revising Macedonia’s Constitution, an obligation stemming from the Prespa Agreement with Greece, Travari said it would have been good if the AfA amendment related to the usage of languages was accepted.

Our amendment would have put an end to discussions on ethnic issues, enabling the country to focus on economy, welfare and other spheres significant for citizens, Taravari said.

Incorporating the Albanian language in Macedonia’s constitution would actually reinstate the rights ethnic Albanians enjoyed in former Yugoslavia, Travari said. The Albanian and Turkish languages were official in ex-Yugoslavia, he added.

Taravari expressed belief that more than a two-thirds of MPs would vote in favor of the constitutional amendments in Macedonia’s Parliament. He hopes that there will be no unpleasant surprises in Athens, wishing for Greek Parliament to ratify the Prespa Agreement as soon as possible.