Today's Date:

Eastern Europe

Skopje, September 7, 2004

(...)

As you reminded us, on the occasion of President Crvenkovski’s visit [to France] a few months ago, President Chirac spoke again of the personal attention he pays to Macedonia’s future and to stability in this region, and to what happens here. This is also the purpose of my visit.

There are, ladies and gentlemen, many signs and much evidence of this closeness between France and Macedonia, not just throughout history, of course, in our political and cultural relations, but also during the difficult times your country has gone through.

2001 CRISIS/OHRID AGREEMENT/DECENTRALIZATION

I’m thinking particularly of the very serious crisis in 2001 (...). Thanks to your own political will, the refound spirit of harmony and then the support of the European and international communities, you resolved the crisis. And this is why we are so committed, with you, to the stage-by-stage implementation of the Ohrid Agreement. The Ohrid Agreement commits us all. And it’s one of the milestones. This Agreement is a milestone on the path, the right path, which you’ve set out on towards the European Union.

Macedonia has taken the right path. And I’ve come here to say that France is going to help and support Macedonia along it.

She’s going to help and support you pass every milestone, one after the other, on the road to your accession.

(...)

One issue the Prime Minister and I talked about, (...) one of the components of the Ohrid Agreement, was decentralization. (...) This is a matter for Macedonians. There is absolutely no question of my interfering in your country's domestic policy debates. I simply want to restate the fact that the Ohrid Agreement, and this decentralization issue, are a milestone on the path to the European Union.

And I want simply to say that people mustn’t play into the hands of those who want or would like to delay or divert Macedonia from this European path.

ADRIATIC CHARTER/BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA/SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO MEETING

And of course there will be other milestones. And I repeat that France will be at your side.

This is why I was very happy with Mrs Mitreva's suggestion to me of a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the Adriatic Charter countries [Macedonia, Croatia and Albania] together with the Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro. We are going to find a date for this meeting in your country in October.

FRANCE/MACEDONIA

Finally, as is normal for two ministers, we talked about the concrete bilateral relations between France and Macedonia.

I am very anxious for these political, diplomatic relations to include relations with a human, “peoples” dimension, (...) for France also to undertake concrete projects to help the development and stability and enhance the daily lives of the Macedonians.

I have here a list of some concrete projects relating to daily life, and particularly the future of your young people, training and education.

(...) We are helping in the treatment of drinking water in Kocani (...) the provision of ultrasound equipment for women in Kumanovo Medical Centre, (...) the new blood transfusion system here in your country (...) and the training of around hundred young Macedonian civil servants who are going to have a lot of work here and with the European Union in the coming years. (...)

I personally attach, and will go on attaching great importance to this concrete human, people's dimension of our bilateral cooperation.

As I’ve said, (...) a message of friendship (...) and the political message is the one I’ve just told you about. France was very actively involved with the other European countries in ending the crisis in which you were plunged in 2001.

It isn't enough to find a way out of an acute crisis as you succeeded in doing. One has to take a positive path – and you have embarked on this – and go on setting the example of this harmony, this joint effort by the various communities. For the sake of Macedonia herself you need to work together in the diversity of your Macedonian society, and the example is a useful one for others too, especially in this region where there are a lot of problems. This is one part of France's message. (...)./.