Arsovski: Support for the Srebrenica Resolution is more a political project than a state project of North Macedonia

Political analyst Petar Arsovski assessed that North Macedonia's support for the Srebrenica Resolution is more a political project than a state project.

"I think there is pressure in the region at the level of geostrategic division between, conditionally speaking, support for the West and support for the East, and that this has repercussions on local political currents. In this sense, tension between the two geostrategic points will increase, and considering that Bujar Osmani belongs to the Albanian ethnic community in Macedonia, he clearly stands on the side of the West and on stronger rhetoric about it. I think this is a project to clarify the overall narratives considering the dynamics of relations between Pristina and Belgrade, the dynamics of relations in Bosnia, and so forth. I believe this is more of a political project than a state stance, although if it were a state stance, Macedonia would have to be on that side, given that it has chosen the United States as its geostrategic partner," Arsovski told for Kosovo Online.

He assesses that such a stance is not agreed upon by the citizens of North Macedonia and emphasizes that according to surveys, they have expressed that Serbia is the closest country to them in the region.

"I think this is more a stance of political actors. We as institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Bujar Osmani as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, did not choose when this would be on the agenda, it is now before the elections. Otherwise, this is not the opinion of the citizens of Macedonia, the citizens of Macedonia have expressed in surveys that they feel Serbia is the closest among the countries in the region, and I think there would be resistance among the citizens regarding such a Resolution. However, given that it is geostrategic politics and Macedonian official foreign policy on that side, Bujar Osmani, whenever it comes on the agenda, has to address this issue," he said.

He expects that Serbia will not look favorably on such a move.

"It has already announced animosity towards Greece and animosity towards Macedonia. We have also had a statement from Vulin and the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. There will surely be some tensions, but I think they will be transitory because this is part of a larger political project and clearing up a more serious political narrative, and I think Macedonia here does not de facto have a choice about its position," he concludes.