North Macedonia leaders clash over 2001 partition claims

The 25th anniversary of the Ohrid Framework Agreement has reignited debate regarding whether a formal plan for the partition of North Macedonia existed during the 2001 armed conflict.

During a panel discussion in Skopje, DUI leader Ali Ahmeti claimed he personally held a partition project that was approved by “the highest authorities,” though he stated he rejected it. Ahmeti noted that such a division would have left many ethnic Albanians outside the borders of Albania, specifically mentioning regions including Skopje, Kumanovo, Struga, Kičevo, Prilep, and Veles.

Former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Vlado Buchkovski provided a different perspective, stating that the conflict was not solely about Albanian rights but involved a “tendency to seize territory and make an attempt to divide Macedonia.”

In response, DPA leader Menduh Thaçi categorically denied the existence of any such document, dismissing the notion as an idea from “pseudo-academics instructed by Serbia’s UDBA.” He further asserted that former leader Arbën Xhaferi never possessed such a document.