Polyparty-ism - Search for Common Ground

"Frankly, there were no problems
here. During the crisis, I drove in
Zajas and the other villages where
Albanians live with no problem. I
think that mutual respect kept the
relations as they were before the crisis.
We, the young ones, continue that
life, too. I hope it shall go on like
that," says Trajkovski. There was no
crisis in Gostivar either, but that town
is only twenty kilometers from the
Tetovo region, one of the fiercest battle
areas during the crisis. The citizens
say they have managed more or
less to maintain good neighborly
relations. "We were frightened. We
were watchful and scared for the
future. It's all right now. Life goes on
the same as before. I am an Albanian,
but I have many Macedonian friends,
Turks and other nationalities. The
young people in Gostivar are divided
though. They don't socialize and they
go out to different cafes.
Unfortunately, a great deal of time
will have to pass for that to change.
However, we do not complain
because it is fine the way it is now.
We respect each other and that is the
most important thing," says Alajdin
Beqiri. Snezhana Aleksievska, a
woman from Gostivar, says there
have not been problems in Gostivar
and that the crisis did not influence
interethnic relations. "There was fear
during the war, but that has passed.
People shut themselves up inside
their homes then. They didn't move
about town or communicate so much.
It's alright now. Relations and communications
are great. I am
Macedonian and my employer is
Turk. All the shopkeepers around me
are Albanian. We are fine, at least, for
the time being," says Aleksievska.
(Emil Zafirovski is a journalist
at Dnevnik, Isen Saliu
is a journalist at Fakti)
Fear or business
For several
months now
apartment owners
of
Macedonian ethnicity
have been
selling their
apartments in the
districts on the
left side of the
Vardar River.
Based on public
opinion collected
from the
Albanian inhabitants,
we learn
that their
Macedonian
neighbours are
unexpectedly putting
out ads to sell
their apartments,
although the relationship
between
the two sides have
been good
Valdetet Ismaili
According to public
opinion from a large number
of Albanian citizens, inhabitants
of the districts on the
left side of the Vardar River,
we learn that their
Macedonian neighbours
have been migrating in large
numbers, moving to the right
side of the Vardar.
Among the neighbourhoods
where the phenomenon
of migration and the
high-priced sale of apartments
are highest is that of
Skopje Sever. Sashe
Jordanovski, once a resident
of the above-mentioned
neighbourhood, sold his
apartment to an Albanian
five months ago.
"Together with my wife
and two children we moved
to Novo Lisiche. I didn't
migrate from Sever because
of bad relations with the
Albanians, but because at the
moment I saw a reasonable
opportunity for such an
action."
Extinguishing his cigarette
with his foot on the
ground, Jordanovski indirectly
mentions the chilling
memories of war. After a
silence, he says that he is
afraid of old history repeating
itself. "Unconsciously, I
feel that I have planted in
myself a certain dose of mistrust
of people. It's not that
Sever has become a 'thorn in
my eye,' but it is an issue of
comfort and security, which
I feel in the place where I
live now," says Jordanovski.
Jordanovski sold his tworoom
apartment for 39,000
euros. "I think that the apartment
that I sold to the
Albanian didn't sell for a high
price, but I didn't have another
opportunity," he says. His
neighbours and himself, as
Jordanovski explains, with
the end of the war in 2001
moved to the neighbourhoods
of Hipodrom, Centar, Vlae
and Karposh.
While we were looking
for someone of Macedonian
background to ask about
their moving out from the
districts where Albanians
live, we spoke with 50-yearold
Mehdi Luta, an inhabitant
of Sever. He tells us of
his "transfer" from
Aerodrom to Sever.
As we learned, he had
realized his idea of moving
from his previous neighbourhood
through exchanging
apartments with Dragan,
who moved to Mehdi's
apartment.
"At the end of 2002, I
exchanged my apartment in
Aerodrom with Dragi. He
used to live in the apartment
that I have today, while he
now lives in my previous
apartment over there. I also
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Meetings, not divisions, June 2003