Monday, 12 march 2012
FIFTH MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE ON RELATIONS AMONG THE COMMUNITIES
The Committee on Relations among the Communities, at its meeting held on 9 March 2012, in line with its competences stipulated with the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia and the Law on the Committee on Relations among the Communities, discussed the “Latest incidents and their effect on the inter-ethnic relations and the stability in the country”.
The Chairperson of the Committee Ms. Armira Mehmeti chaired the Meeting. Besides the members of the Committee and interested Members of Parliament, the Minister of Internal Affairs Ms. Gordana Jankulovska, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Mr. Xhelal Bajrami, the German Ambassador to Macedonia H.E. Ms. Gudrun Elisabeth Steinacker, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje Ambassador Ralf Breth and representatives of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, as well representative of the US Embassy in Skopje also attended the Meeting.
Based on the debate, the Committee on Relations among the Communities adopted unanimously the following:
C O N C L U S I O N S
- The Committee on Relations among the Communities expresses its deep concern at the series of attacks and violent incidents in the recent period that resulted in increased inter-ethnic tensions in the Republic of Macedonia.
- The members of the Committee on Relations among the Communities condemn these attacks and incidents and call on everyone involved to act with responsibility and seriousness and make efforts for easing of the inter-ethnic tension.
- The Committee on Relations among the Communities urges:
• The Ministry of Internal Affairs to take all legal measures in order to prevent further incidents, find the perpetrators and instigators of these violent incidents and punish them accordingly;
• The Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Macedonia to conduct an investigation and prepare the indictment before the relevant court in order to demystify this cycle of ethnic provocations;
• The relevant people in education, in cooperation with the parents, to undertake all necessary activities for prevention of further escalation of inter-ethnic tensions;
The members of the Committee on Relations among the Communities appeal to all the political parties, the bodies of the state administration, the media, the religious communities, the Non-Governmental sector and the citizens to address the situation in a peaceful manner and in the spirit of reconciliation, as well as to refrain from any activity that might increase the tensions; and to approach all the issues related to the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional relations in the Republic of Macedonia in a sensible manner and with high level of responsibility.- These Conclusions shall be forwarded to the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Secretariat for Implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, the Ministry of Justice, the Ombudsman and the media.