Dimitrievski: We have never received an official answer as to who the scriptwriter and director of the scenario from Kumanovo were

Officials from Belgrade have been pointing out the double standards of the international community in their reactions to the recent conflict in Banjska and the terrorist act in Kumanovo in 2015. Mayor of Kumanovo, Maksim Dimitrievski, recalling the "mini-war" of eight years ago, said that a group "from neighboring Kosovo entered the city with the aim of destabilizing it".

Comparing Banjska and Kumanovo, Dimitrievski said that there were many similarities, but in North Macedonia, those who had been on the side of the terrorists had not been killed or executed, but rather captured, convicted, and were currently serving prison sentences.

Even today, there is no official answer as to who was the scriptwriter and director of the scenario in Kumanovo.

The memory of the tragic events in Kumanovo in 2015 has recently been revived for all of us in the region. In your city, it seems that this memory never fades. How do you remember May 2015? Remind us of what happened then and what was the intention of the people who came from Kosovo to Kumanovo and prepared for action here?

There was a classic terrorist act. An armed group entered the city, which, fortunately, did not have the support of the local population. They entered a part of the city predominantly inhabited by Albanians but where Macedonians and a smaller number of Serbs also lived. According to the investigation, there were individuals who collaborated with this terrorist group, and all of this was preceded by an attack on the Goshintse border outpost, where they obtained significant amounts of weapons. It was a two-day conflict. May 9 was celebrated as "Europe Day", May 10 the victory over fascism in Moscow was celebrated, and in Kumanovo, a two-day mini-war took place, ending tragically with the killing of eight police officers and more than thirty-seven injured police officers. Fortunately, there were no civilian casualties, and Kumanovo remains traumatized by this event to this day, as does, I believe, the entire state and the entire region. We had no previous experience with such events, with terrorist attacks in the city. Still, before that, it was evident that something was brewing because there was a noticeable increase in the presence of police officers and their positioning in certain parts of the city, indicating that our state agencies had some information. However, as citizens, we never received an official answer as to who the scriptwriter and director of this scenario were.

After the action, controversy arose regarding the qualification of that act and the treatment of those who undertook it. Namely, at the funeral of the killed terrorists, officials from political parties were present, and KLA flags were displayed. Members of that organization insisted on a military funeral with the highest honors, which was indeed done. Later, a monument was erected for one of them. What were the reactions to this in Macedonia?

I think that in that period, immediately after the events, there was condemnation by officials from the Kosovo side for that event. The entire international community certainly condemned the event. Our state also reacted, unfortunately with significant casualties. But what must be mentioned is precisely what you claim, that these individuals, when their bodies were returned to Kosovo, were somewhat glorified as heroes, which is condemnable. Terrorism must not be glorified because if you do that, it will repeat, and it is indeed condemnable. This is the first time I've heard from you that a monument was erected, and that is utterly condemnable. An apology is needed, not condemnation because that group from neighboring Kosovo entered our city and presumably aimed to destabilize the city and, I assume, the state. The investigation should determine who participated in that event.

How did the international community react to the conflict in Kumanovo, how was the incursion into the territory of a sovereign state characterized, and how were the terrorists later sent off?

The international community acted very responsibly, as far as I know. They directly engaged in the event and were a part of the negotiations because if they hadn't been involved, I believe the conflict would have lasted longer and caused greater material damage and human losses. Regarding the material damage, all damage to property owners whose buildings were damaged in that operation was immediately compensated from the municipal and state budgets. Furthermore, there was an official condemnation from the international community. If you're trying to draw a parallel with what happened in Kosovo, I assume you're interested, and I think there are quite a few similarities in both cases. The state needs to respond in an organized manner, but on the other hand, in neither case in Macedonia were injured individuals on the side of the terrorists killed or executed. They were captured, properly sentenced, and are currently serving their prison sentences.

You personally and Kumanovo have activities in the fight against terrorism, what exactly are you doing, and is this your direct response to that event and a preventive measure for any similar events?

Yes, Kumanovo immediately joined the "Strong Cities Network", funded by the US Department of State, Denmark, Norway, and the European Union. We are active in this field. We have formed strong community prevention teams to prevent violence, extremist activities, and, above all, terrorist actions from happening. We have engaged in the "Strong Cities Network" on a global level, where there are 160 cities that have had such experiences in history and want to prevent them. We actively work on prevention. We have created local community teams, and action teams that work in schools with high school students. The greatest prevention, believe me, was demonstrated in that two-day conflict in the city, which was the result of the terrorist act by individuals. The greatest prevention was the citizens of the Municipality of Kumanovo, who come from different backgrounds, and different political affiliations, and we all started with an action by the Municipal Council of Kumanovo, which unanimously condemned that act regardless of the political party. Then, together, Macedonians, Albanians, Serbs, Roma people, Vlachs, Turks... Kumanovo is a multi-ethnic municipality, and we all voted for the condemnation of such an act at the very beginning. Representatives and religious leaders also joined in. We have various forms of action. For now, the results are excellent, but we need to act on multiple fronts to prevent extremist behavior in schools and all other places in the city and the country.