The Law on Associations and Foundations and the decisions of the Commission on Names are not directed against the constitutionally guaranteed right of association, but against the decisions of associations to bear the names of controversial personalities, which create discomfort among all citizens of the country and in this sense the Commission takes decisions in accordance with the legal provisions and the desire to preserve the essence of the multi-ethnic society in North Macedonia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia wrote on its website.
The release also said that the Ministry actively cooperates with associations and organisations from the non-governmental sector and supports their engagement, in accordance with the existing legal framework regulating the establishment and activities of these associations, and that North Macedonia is internationally recognised as an example of how minority rights should be protected, and how diversity based on the rights of collective identity should be nurtured.
On the other hand, the work of the joint multidisciplinary expert commission on historical and educational issues has the full support of the institutions of the Republic of North Macedonia, but its work is not related to the Law on Associations and Foundations, the Ministry said, adding that the country provides a high level of protection and support for the rights and national, linguistic and cultural particularities of each community, and this right is not limited, nor can it be.
The reaction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Skopje comes after the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry made a statement that Sofia is following with growing concern the developments in North Macedonia related to attempts to restrict the right of association of Bulgarians in the country. On March 16, the Commission on the use of names in North Macedonia issued a negative opinion on the use of Ivan Mihailov's name by the Bulgarian Cultural Centre in Bitola.
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