The Ohrid Framework Agreement and its Legacy Cover Image

The Ohrid Framework Agreement and its Legacy
The Ohrid Framework Agreement and its Legacy

Author(s): Eva Jovanova
Subject(s): International Law, Civil Society, Governance, Political history, Inter-Ethnic Relations, Geopolitics, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: Udruženje “Pravnik”
Keywords: The Ohrid Framework Agreement; conflict; ethnic Albanian paramilitary unit; Macedonian national army;

Summary/Abstract: The Ohrid Framework Agreement was the legal framework that put an end to the armed conflict between the ethnic Albanian paramilitary unit National Liberation Army (NLA), and the Macedonian national army in 2001. The agreement was mediated by the international community via representatives from the European Union and the United States. Both Macedonian and Albanian leading political figures from the Macedonian political scene took part in the negotiations. Its main purpose was to establish peace between the two armed forces by forbidding violence as a measure for establishing democracy and preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Macedonia. It also aimed to establish the legal framework that should preserve the multi-ethnic character of the Macedonian society. This August 13th Macedonia celebrated 15 years since ratifying this agreement. However, the society still faces numerous challenges in terms of multi-ethnic coexistence. This article analyzes the Ohrid Framework Agreement, together with the circumstances under which it was signed, as the cornerstone of multi-ethnic coexistence in Macedonia. Nonetheless, this article does not aim to evaluate the extent to which the agreement has been implemented, but aims at discovering reasons why even after the implementation of the agreement, multi-ethnic coexistence remains a focal point in the everyday political discourse in Macedonia. The main question that this article raises is whether the Ohrid Framework Agreement has paved the way towards peaceful coexistence in Macedonia and focuses on the fields of ethnic segregation of the population in Macedonia after the agreement.

  • Issue Year: 7/2016
  • Issue No: 7
  • Page Range: 191-196
  • Page Count: 6
  • Language: English