DUI: Ministry of Defence presented the army as 'Macedonian Army' on Army Day

The Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) accused the Ministry of Defence of presenting the nation's armed forces as a monoethnic institution on the country’s Army Day, and demanded an immediate correction of the name and transparency about the ethnic composition of leadership posts.

In a written statement, the party said the use of an ethnic label conflicts with the constitutional framework and with the army’s official name, the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia, which "belongs to all citizens and to all communities that make up the state."

"In the constitutional order, the designation 'Macedonian' is associated exclusively with the ethnic identity of the Macedonian people, while the official name is the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia. It belongs to all citizens and to all communities that make up the state. Perhaps the Ministry, unintentionally, merely described the reality that this government is creating," the DUI statement said.

Party: Albanians losing positions in defence sector

DUI charged that Albanians are being systematically excluded from senior positions and decision-making centres in the defence sector, noting that there are ten director-level posts in the Ministry of Defence and "not a single Albanian" among them.

"The army is financed also by the taxes of Albanians. Albanians have served and continue to serve in its uniform. Albanian families have entrusted this institution with their sons and daughters. No one has the right to turn it into the symbolic and institutional property of only one community. Meanwhile, 'ne-vredi' remains silent. Their ministers and deputy ministers keep their armchairs, while Albanians lose positions in the police, the Army and the entire security system. Their role is reduced to justifying VMRO-DPMNE's decisions and producing statements against DUI," the party added, and demanded publication of the ethnic breakdown of leadership posts and the restoration of fair representation of Albanians at all decision-making levels.

DUI warned that attempts to portray or build the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia as a monoethnic institution "directly threaten the multiethnic character of the state and the spirit of the Ohrid Framework Agreement."

Photo: press material from the event