The Chairman of the Democratic Union for Integration, Ali Ahmeti, through an open letter published today, has emphasized the importance of protecting the Albanian language as an official language in North Macedonia and the fundamental role of equality in building a stable, democratic and European state.
Ahmeti underlines that stable states are built on clear principles, great political agreements and mutual respect, and that the relativization of these principles opens unnecessary debates that serve no one.
“There are issues that are not the property of the parties, but part of our agreement to live together, equally and in a European state. One of them is the status of the Albanian language as an official language“, writes Ahmeti, emphasizing that equality is not a slogan, but an unchanged political and moral conviction.
He adds that the Albanian language is neither a privilege nor a political favor, but a right acquired and guaranteed by the Constitution, and any attempt to relativize or limit this right constitutes a direct challenge to the constitutional order.
Ahmeti recalls that Albanians have not contested the Macedonian language and Macedonian identity, and that linguistic equality has strengthened coexistence and the Euro-Atlantic orientation of the country. He emphasizes that without linguistic equality there cannot be peace, stability and a strong state.
Criticizing some institutional approaches, especially in the Constitutional Court, Ahmeti emphasizes that decisions in sensitive matters should not be influenced by majoritarian ethnic mindsets, but should be based on professional and constitutional arguments. He emphasizes that the Venice Commission has not found constitutional violations in the law on the use of languages, but has suggested improvements in practical implementation through administrative capacities and financial support.
Ahmeti concludes his message by asking for wise language, a measured approach and historical responsibility, stressing that the protection of the Albanian and Macedonian language, the identity of each citizen and the dignity of all, is a political, institutional and international obligation.
“There is no going back! Acquired rights cannot be negotiated or undone. Whoever touches this principle touches the very foundation of the state”. concludes Ahmeti, defining his position as clear, non-negotiable and irreversible.
Open letter
Stable states are built on clear principles, on great political agreements and on mutual respect between citizens and the peoples that make them up. When these principles are preserved and strengthened, the state moves forward; when they are relativized, unnecessary debates are opened that serve no one.
There are issues that should not be handled with the passion of the day, but with the maturity that the state requires. There are topics that are neither the property of parties nor the object of political contests, but part of our common agreement to live together, equally, in a common and European state. One of these issues is the status of the Albanian language as an official language.
For me, equality has never been a slogan. It has been an unchanged political and moral conviction. Because the state becomes strong not when one party feels superior, but when every citizen and every people feels respected, recognized and represented with full dignity. This is precisely where the weight of language lies: it is not only a means of communication, but an expression of identity, dignity and constitutional equality.
The Albanian language for me is not and will never be a matter of negotiation. I have said it and I will repeat it without any reservations: the Ohrid Agreement is the foundation of this country and whoever questions it, questions its own future. Albanian is not a privilege, but a right acquired and guaranteed by the Constitution. Any attempt to relativize or limit this right is a direct confrontation with the constitutional order and will not go unanswered.
Albanians in this country have never disputed the Macedonian language and Macedonian identity; on the contrary, they are constantly defined for a common, unitary, Euro-Atlantic and European Macedonia. This is the truth that must be clearly stated: the equality of Albanians has not weakened the state, but has strengthened it. It has not violated the coexistence, but it has made it fairer. It has not shaken the western orientation of the country, but it has made it possible.
I believe and strongly stand behind this: linguistic equality is the pillar on which coexistence rests. Peace and stability are not built on the dominance of one over the other, but on real equality. A state that does not speak to its citizens in their language is not an equal state. Albanian is not a burden for the state, it is its reality and an inseparable part of its institutional identity.
Therefore, any attempt to relativize, reduce or weaken the status of the Albanian language is not just a legal debate. It is the touch of a balance built with a lot of political wisdom, with a lot of responsibility and with a lot of commitment to the common future. To reduce language rights is to reduce trust. And when trust is violated, the very cohesion of the state is damaged.
Certain institutional approaches are also being followed with concern, especially in the Constitutional Court, which create the unshakable conviction that in matters sensitive to inter-ethnic relations, the professional and constitutional argument does not prevail, but an ethnic majoritarian mindset, outdated and incompatible with the spirit of the Ohrid Agreement. This is reason for serious state care.
Because the institutions, especially the constitutional ones, should be guardians of equality, not the space where what has been acquired as a standard of democratic coexistence is called into question.
Even when talking about the evaluations of the Venice Commission, the complete truth must be told and not the part that serves a political narrative. The Commission has not found that the law on the use of languages is in conflict with the Constitution or international standards. But the assessments for practical implementation are related to the need for capacities, administrative organization and financial support. These are the duties of the relevant institutions. In no serious democracy, as the Venice Commission itself points out, implementation difficulties are not used as an argument to delegitimize the very principle of the rule of law.
Furthermore, international standards are minimum standards, not ceilings for rights. A state that aims at Europe does not intend to reduce the rights now more acquired. In this sense, the Albanian language as an official language is neither a concession, nor a privilege, nor a political favor. It is an acquired right, it is an expression of the multi-ethnic character of the state and the necessity for a fair and stable constitutional order.
Each serious political party, which claims to be state-forming, must reflect. Impatience does not move us forward. The rhetoric that says “you can speak as much Albanian as you want, but there is an official language” is neither modern, nor state-forming, nor European. It does not bring calm, but tension; it does not build bridges, but deepens divisions; it does not heal, but reopens wounds that this country has paid dearly for; and does not strengthen the state, but undermines the very foundation of coexistence.
I don’t want anyone in this country to feel threatened by equality. Neither the Macedonian from the rights of the Albanian, nor the Albanian from the state institutions. This is the true meaning of coexistence: to live with the feeling that the state belongs to everyone and that no one should demand respect as a favor, but enjoy it as a right.
Therefore, today we need wise language, measured approach and historical responsibility. We must protect Macedonian and Albanian, the identity of each and the dignity of all. We must protect not only the text of the laws, but the spirit of the common state. Because when equality is protected, peace is protected; when the other’s language is not violated, our common state is strengthened.
There is no going back! Acquired rights are non-negotiable and non-revocable. Any attempt to limit the application of the Albanian language is a dangerous regression. And those who talk about restrictions today should know that they are opening wounds that this country has closed with many sacrifices. These issues are not to be played with.
These rights are not only an internal achievement, they are the result of a common path with our strategic partners, the European Union, the United States and NATO. Therefore, their protection is not only a political obligation, but a state and international responsibility.
I believe in a Macedonia that moves forward, not behind. In a state that is not afraid of equality, but sees it as its greatest democratic value. In a society where no one is treated as a second-class citizen and where the Albanian language remains what it is: part of the constitutional order, part of equality and an inseparable part of the country’s European future.
I have made it clear: we do not ask for more than we deserve, but we will not accept less. Equality is not an option, it is an obligation. Today, the problem is not the law, but the lack of will to implement it. Laws are not enforced by themselves, they are enforced by institutions and by people who must be held accountable. No one has the right to block or ignore the implementation of a constitutional right. This is not only a legal violation, it is a violation of citizens’ trust.
The Constitutional Court should give up being a pre-political institution and an instrument of destabilizing agendas, destroying the constitutional order and equality in the country.
This is my attitude. Clear, non-negotiable and irreversible: there is no future without equality, there is no equality without dignity, and there is no dignity without the Albanian language as an official language.
Whoever touches this principle touches the very foundation of the state.
