Permanent Mission of the Republic of North Macedonia to the UN in New York

⚡️Flash info: la Macédoine du Nord 🇲🇰 a été tirée au sort le 1er juin par le Secrétaire général des Nations Unies🇺🇳.

Elle occupera le 1er siège dans la salle de l'Assemblée générale lors de sa 78e session, à partir du 5 septembre 2023.

Pour (re)voir le tirage au sort, rendez-vous sur la UN Web TV ➡️ https://bit.ly/3NjDh0Z

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, the UN and regional organizations discuss co-operation, integration, and engagement with women and youth NEW YORK, 30 May 2023 – At the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York, a high-level event was organized by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities in close co-operation with the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of North Macedonia t...

Preventive Diplomacy in the Changing Landscape of Modern Conflicts: The Role of the UN and Regional Organizations.

Organized by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of North Macedonia to the UN in New York, representing North Macedonia's 2023 OSCE Chair and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Poland to the UN in New York, representing Poland as the member of OSCE Troika.

Preventive diplomacy, mediation and policy of friendship - and refer to North Macedonia way and aspects of creating its foreign policy in all this years of being member in UN : being in position to negotiated name issue in process of membership in UN ; being first successful example of UN preventive diplomacy policy ( UNREDEP mission 1992-1996) ; process of solution of turbulent relation with its neighbors by the rules establish in UN Charter ; finally being visible as active peacebuilding and peacekeeping actor on multilateral scene and here in UN .

For that discussion we have here prominent and distinguish gests as speakers :
- Prime Minister of Government of North Macedonia His excellency DimitarKovacevski ;
- Former Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Matthew Nimetz
- United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Mr. Miroslav Jenča.
- First MNR and First ambassador to UN from North Macedonia – prof Denko Malevski
- US General John Baggott , former Comman

Dear excellences, Prime minister, Minister of foreign affairs , dear gests and friends – My name is LJ.D. Frchkoski and as ambassador of RNM in UN , I have a honor and pleasure to open this Reception - witch celebrate 30 years of North Macedonia membership in United Nation .

It is always bad idea to zip , to try to summed-up 30 years of intensive politics of any country in occasion like this , but any way we are still doing that .
And especially if that are 30 years of country which first in its history becomes independent ( 1991 ), and member of UN in 1993 – task could become surficial emotional and even stressful – that I really want to avoid . That’s way in this occasion I will only flash-on some points of that unique recent history of my country:
1. North Macedonia gained its independence peacefully, according to the self-determination procedures of the UN Charter, under the shadow of the bloody drama of disintegration of the former Yugoslavia and period of turbulent relations with its neighbors.

2. The Country was, in a way -“forced” , setting a precedent in the history of the UN, to be admitted to the organization in 1993 under the temporary reference by which was addressed. It accepted mediation by the UN Secretary-General, through his mediators, Cyrus Vance and Matthew Nimitz, to resolve the alleged name dispute and finally resolved it with the Prespa Agreement in 2019.

3. During this period, North Macedonia gradually resolved all open issues with its neighbors. And since 1992, it was the first and only successful example of preventive diplomacy in UN (with s.c.UNPREDEP mission ). In that sense, the example of North Macedonia was a kind of link between today's "New Agenda for Peace" promoted by Antonio Guterres and the first "Agenda for Peace" of Boutros Boutros Ghali.

4. I hope that North Macedonia find its way : on a path off learning on “the hard way” ….we avoid nationalistic populism and try to build country on a basis of multicultural democracy and in foreign policy on the principles of active, peaceful multilateralism. On that path, for the last 30 years, we created strategic partnerships (with US, become member of NATO and in process of integration in Europen Union ,being part of initiatives in region as the Open Balkans initiative, etc.) - That alliances strengthen our security and democracy and define us, we define our self as a visible and active partner in the UN.

I hope, I wish that We will continue on that path with success.

5. Celebrating this 30 years membership in UN we will have Round table tomorrow here in UN headquarter on Preventive diplomacy and policy of friendship and civil society and solidarity ; and two exhibition later on 05 of May in Macedonian Cultural center in New York .

6. Well, having nothing more to say I will give a floor to his excellency Prime Minister of Government of North Macedonia DimitarKovacevski – please Prime Minister 🇲🇰 🇺🇳

30 years of Republic of North Macedonia to the UN

North Macedonia gained its independence peacefully, according to the self-determination procedures of the UN Charter underthe shadowof the bloody drama of disintegration of the former Yugoslavia andperiod of turbulent relations with its neighbors.

The Country was “forced” , setting a precedent in the history of the UN, to be admitted to the organization in 1993 under the temporary reference by which was addressed. It accepted mediation by the UN Secretary-General, through his mediators, Cyrus Vance and Matthew Nimitz, to resolve the alleged name dispute and finally resolved it with the Prespa Agreement in 2019.

During this period, North Macedonia gradually resolved all open issues with its neighbors. And since 1992, it was the first and only successful example of preventive diplomacy, in cooperation with the UN (UNPREDEP; OSCE). In that sense, the example of North Macedonia was a link between today's "New Agenda for Peace" promoted by Antonio Guterres and the original "Agenda for Peace" of Boutros BoutrosGhali.

The principles on which North Macedonia conducts its foreign policy derive from active peaceful multilateralism. On that path, for the past 30 years, it has been creating strategic partnerships (the USA, NATO and the EU, the Open Balkans initiative, etc.) and alliances that strengthen its security and democracy and define itself as a visible and active partner in the UN.

This path was not at all easy, full of self-restrain, persistence in supporting the stated principles and policies of friendship, as well as the determination to stand by them even in the times of political regression.

Those principles are an expression of the country's internal policy for building and maintaining a multicultural democracy and a permanent inclusiveness of diversity in democratic processes, protection and promotion of human rights and the rights of different cultural communities and vulnerable groups, and insisting on prevention in resolving internal disputes, and disputes with neighbors.

In that sense, North Macedonia is a serious regional actor in building and maintaining peace and good neighborly relations. The country has rich experience in creating models for resolving identity conflicts (Ohrid Agreement, Prespa Agreement, the Agreement with Bulgaria, etc.) that can and will benefit UN institutions in the exercise of their competence: preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention, negotiation of conflicts and post-conflict reconciliation.

During these 30 years of membership in the UN, North Macedonia was a member of the Human Rights Council; had the President of the UN General Assembly; led an active policy of visibility and initiatives in the areas of human and minority rights and conflict prevention, created networks of friendship and cooperation - which for a small country are crucial in international politics.

It will undoubtedly continue to strengthen its position and become active peace-making factor in the centers of international politics, such as the Organization of the United Nations.

Amb. Ljubomir D. Frckoski
New York

April 2023