Address by the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Boris Trajkovski

Your Excellencies, It has been said, "History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives."

In Southeastern Europe, we have witnessed conflicts that have ravaged our land, cities and homes. We have witnessed the tragedies of our neighbors, friends and countrymen. We have witnessed the endless march of refugees. We have witnessed the hardship of material poverty. Thus, we have exhausted all other alternatives and we must now behave wisely.

Today, we have in front of us issues related to the definition of a joint vision for the development of our region. Each country of South East Europe should look to the future with new visions and ideas. Each country should leave to the past all of the traumas and frustrations and leave to the dustbin of history the wars and disputes which have rocked our region. Each country should face the challenges of cooperation. This is the only way for our region to overcome isolation which has often characterized the region.

Recent events have paved the way for cooperation and democratic reforms. This is no time to follow the seductive path of gradualism, so we must act quickly and decisively. Now is the time to make a real commitment to democracy, regional stability and prosperity. Now is the time to oppose ethnic nationalism. Now is the time to rebuild our economies after 50 years of failed economic policies. Now is the time to build a better world for the sake of our children. Now is the time to do justice and to serve our citizens. Never have conditions been more favorable than today for these actions. We must not let this opportunity slip by.

Peace and prosperity requires dialogue, patience, humility and mutual respect. Furthermore, peace and prosperity must be based on mutual interest. The Republic of Macedonia is determined to promote peace and prosperity in the region by supporting international and regional initiatives aimed to promote stability and by building good relations with our neighbors.

Your Excellencies,

We welcome the presence of the newly elected President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and I would like to congratulate him for his victory. I would also like to extend to him and to the people of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, support in their strong determination to build a truly democratic society. At the same time, I would like to emphasize our strong support in the democratic process in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. I am truly convinced that these events will lead to the overall stabilization of the region, closer cooperation between all states and ultimately, peace and stability.

Your Excellencies,

The Republic of Macedonia supports the activities of the international community directed towards achieving lasting peace and development of democracy. We give strong support to the efforts for stabilization of the situation in Kosovo. We are particularly interested because of the repercussions for regional security.

The Republic of Macedonia believes that only by respecting UN Security Council Resolution 1244 it is possible to achieve long-term stabilization and in this way to finally relax the region. This includes strengthening of the process for the reestablishment of peace and stability, respect of the inviolability of borders, safeguarding the multiethnic character of states, secure and free return of the refugees and for the economic reconstruction and stabilization of Kosovo.

The Republic of Macedonia supports the Dayton Peace Agreement believing that the existing difficulties will be overcome with the assistance of the whole international community. It is of particular importance that we commit ourselves to giving support to all those who are truly involved in strengthening peace, in the reconstruction and in the return of the refugees to their homes.

My country encourages efforts for the creation of a democratic, multi-ethnic society, where the rights of the citizens regardless of their ethnic, religious and cultural origin will be fully and equally respected. At the same time, it is necessary to stop the inter-ethnic violence and to create the necessary conditions for the return of refugees and displaced persons, regardless of their ethnic belonging, as bases for the construction of a democratic civil society.

Your Excellencies,

The Republic of Macedonia actively supports and participates in the Stability Pact exactly because it promotes development of democracy and economic prosperity through regional cooperation. Our states can contribute to peace and prosperity of all of continental Europe. Much like last century's Marshall Plan, the needs are tremendous and the risks of doing nothing far outweigh the risks of being bold and generous.

During the last year and throughout this year, the South East European Cooperation Process has closely cooperated with the Stability Pact. We are ready to further coordinate and cooperate with the Stability Pact's activities whose goal is the building of a common approach that brings democracy, stability and economic prosperity to the region.

Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski will address the issue of the Stability Pact and Macedonia's involvement in greater detail shortly.

Your Excellencies,

My vision for Southeastern Europe is to see this region as a part of the whole of Europe through cooperation, coordination and in friendship.

My vision for Southeastern Europe is based on the principles of justice, prosperity, democracy and a market economy. Most of the problems in our region stem from actual or perceived injustices, where those injustices are a part of a mythical past or in fact are real injustices still present today.

People will build a just society, if they are properly educated. If our citizens can provide for their families, they will be able to abide justice. However, life spent in endless poverty or dependency on the government cannot help to bring justice to all our people. As we have seen, desperation breeds despotism.

Justice must also be foremost in our territorial sovereignty. We cannot re-draw borders and boundaries, making smaller units of ever purer ethnic states. We cannot survive as a region if ethnicity becomes the sole defining justification for statehood.

Essentially, the ideals of justice, prosperity and democracy come down to ensuring basic human dignity. This dignity does not arise from government bureaucracies or institutions of our states. Human dignity is God-given and a part of our nature that all too often has been abused or ignored.

I have given you my vision for Southeastern Europe. Now, allow me to lay out the challenges which I believe face us and how, through cooperation, we can meet these challenges.

First, our people must change their habits, mentalities and thought processes. Old ways of thinking must change and new ways adopted. We must start to develop a strong civil society that is the basis for economic and democratic growth. A strong civil society acts as a watchdog against government tyranny. We must create that social space between the family and the state where people leam how to organize to meet their own needs.

Second, in the economic field, we hope to increase regional economic cooperation through foreign investment. Foreign investors know that small markets offer little return on investment. However, by enlarging market opportunities through regional cooperation, including the elimination of obstacles that prohibit the flow of goods and services between borders, conditions for expending intra-regional trading will be created, which will have positive impact on the national economies and increase the standard of living. In this regard, the Republic of Macedonia is seeking support for the Corridor 8 project, which is of crucial importance not only for Macedonia and South Eastern Europe, but Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Third, in the political arena, we may have our differences and disagreements. But we should focus on those areas where we do agree. Most notably, this includes making our reform processes similar and in the direction of European Union standards. This also includes the building of lasting national institutions.

Fourth, in the judicial area, we can achieve real results by cooperating on a regional level, especially in the fight against organized crime, and the improvement of customs and border procedures.

Finally, we know that, all too well, security and stability have been themes of great importance to all of us throughout the past decade. Collectively, we are members of either NATO or the PfP. Those of us in the PfP actively seek NATO membership. Regardless, we must all refocus our collective efforts to improve security and thus provide stability. This can be achieved through greater efforts at conflict prevention and crisis management.

Your Excellencies,

We will still face problems in the region. We should not deny that fact nor bury our heads in the sand hoping that those problems will go away. Instead, we should confront them, calmly and collectively, and solve them in cooperation and in friendship.

If we are to further utilize the Stability Pact and other initiatives aimed to promote stability, if we are united in the goal of bringing prosperity and peace to the people we serve, if we are to fight the good fight and create just and fair societies for all our citizens, then we must remember this: "A house divided against itself cannot stand."

I believe that South Eastern Europe will never be stable or prosperous until every country embraces democratic values and market reforms. Either we progress together or not at all. Either we cooperate and move forward or we stay mired in the status quo.

As we prepare for the meeting in Zagreb next month where we will meet with our counterparts in the European Union, let me lay out this challenge. Let us bring to the table, as a region, a real commitment to regional cooperation and friendship. Let us provide our counterparts with a regional plan for action. Let us bring to the table fresh, new and innovative ideas. Let us prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we, as a region, are prepared to work with each other in achieving real progress and reform. Let us go back to our cities and our citizens and lead them in achieving real progress and reform.

In closing I would once again like to thank you for agreeing to attend and participate in this summit. As I stated at the beginning of my remarks, these are truly historic times. We must seize the day in achieving our goals and our dreams. While we can count on our friends in the European Union and in the United States, ultimately, it is up to us, as leaders, and up to our citizens, to work toward regional peace, stability, security and economic prosperity for our children, our grand children and all future generations.

Thank you.