Macedonians angry over Albanian MP’s remarks
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Albanian MP Mesila Doda
TIRANA, March 14 - A statement by Albanian MP Mesila Doda over the independence of the self-proclaimed republic of Iliriada, has sparked anger among members of Macedonia’s Social Democratic Union Party. In a press statement, SDSM Party condemned the rhetoric that is “damaging to relations between the two countries.
“We condemn the provocative rhetoric in the statements of Albanian MP, Mesila Doda related to the Republic of Macedonia. The statements are neither in the spirit of building good neighborly relations nor in mutual respect. Such discourse is useful to those who aim divisions and work hard to ignite disagreements and intolerance,” the SDSM statement read.
Doda, an MP from the Party of Justice, Integration and Unity said in Parliament that Albanians in Macedonia can not be scared by anyone.
“I want to talk about a place I am very passionate about. It’s Ilirida, an ancient Albanian province, whose name we forgot. Somebody says it’s Macedonia, some calls it FYROM, we call it Ilirida,” Doda said sparking outrage in the neighbor country.
She added that there will be “no Ivanov, Gruevski or any other person that can continue to work against Albanians.”
Local media in Macedonia described Doda’s words as dangerous to Macedonia and even hinted that the country might declare Doda a “persona non grata.”
Three years ago, the former leader of the ethnic Albanian Party for Democratic Action in Macedonia Nevzat Halili in Skopje announced the formation of Republic of Ilirida, causing a stir in the local media and among politicians.
According to the map, the self proclaimed entity takes almost half of Macedonia's territory. At the time, Social Democrats accused the government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski of creating the proper environment for the emerge of ‘radical movements.’
