‘Wounds have not yet healed, memories are still fresh’
Let us turn to your domestic issues, which are also of interest to the region as a whole. What progress has been made in implementing the Ohrid accord that put an end to the war? We are entering the final phase of the Ohrid agreement. There are still one or two laws that have to be passed. In March, we have local elections, which implies the implementation of the most important part of the agreement: decentralization. How are relations between the two ethnic communities? Has the mutual hatred decreased at all? It has only been four years since the intercommunal crisis and we must admit that in such a short time there has been great progress in relations between the two groups. We did this by ourselves, in contrast to Bosnia, Kosovo, even Croatia, where this level of intercommunal relationship has been difficult to achieve despite all the efforts by the international community. In Bosnia and in Kosovo, despite the strong presence of international armed forces and the availability of major economic resources, they have not been able to reach this level. We can say that trust between the two ethnic groups has recently increased somewhat, although in some respects more time is necessary. Wounds have not yet healed, memories are still fresh. But if we compare the situation to that of 2001, we can say that huge progress has been made.
