OSCE Offers Minority Rights Expertise to North Macedonia
President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova met Thursday with OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Christophe Kamp, who is in a first visit to the country after taking office in December last year.
Kamp mentioned OSCE's role as an organization whose primary role is to prevent internal, as well as regional instability and conflicts, and expressed readiness for expert assistance in creating or innovating the legal framework, if there is interest and a request from Macedonian institutions, the President's Office said in a press release, CE Report quotes MIA.
"Expressing gratitude for the cooperation so far, Siljanovska Davkova agreed that the OSCE can help accelerate the Macedonian as well as the Western Balkans' European integration path by promoting the protection of minority rights, in accordance with fundamental documents on minorities. The High Commissioner offered expertise on the current national legislation on the protection of minority rights, as well as on its implementation. He stressed the importance of an inclusive decision-making process at all levels, in which every member of any minority would have the chance to participate," reads the press release.
President Siljanovska Davkova highlighted the alignment of the country's legislation on minorities with the highest standards for minority rights, "as well as the need for greater care for smaller minorities, given their vulnerability".
"Interlocutors stressed the importance of good-neighbourly and friendly relations, an important factor of which is respect for minority rights. The President reaffirmed the idea of preparing a comparative regional study on the guarantee and respect for minority rights in the Balkan countries, including ours," Siljanovska Davkova's Office said in a press release.
