22 November 2012 | 18:54 | FOCUS News Agency
Home / Southeast Europe and Balkans
Skopje. The struggle of flags in Macedonia continues.
After a six-meter Albanian flag was hoisted on a 30-meter pole in
Kicevo, a 20-meter pole will be placed at Deve Bair checkpoint on the
Macedonian-Bulgarian border and “a Macedonian flag will proudly flutter”
there.
“Ours should be bigger than the Bulgarian one” reads the title of the news on the website of Vest.
According to the media in Skopje the new pole at Deve Bair checkpoint will be the highest in the Balkans.
The 60-meter structure will be put at a small hill and if the Bulgarians want their flag to flutter at a higher place, they will have to erect a 75-meter pole, says Skopje.
The new pole was donated by a firm that is in charge of fitting all poles in the state and works on most Skopje 2014 projects. The government will pay nothing for the 60-meter pole, government sources told Vest.
At Deve Bair checkpoint, where a struggle for the height of the poles is underway, there are two poles now. The Macedonian one is 30 meters high and the Bulgarian one, which has been recently fixed, is 45 meters high, announced Sitel television.
Other media comment that the 60-meter pole and the Macedonian flag on it come after the Democratic Union for Integration started hoisting huge flags in the settlements with Albanian population. An Albanian flag which is about ten meters long and wide covers the façade of the Culture Center in Tetovo, writes Nova Makedonija.
According to Nova Makedonija there is no Macedonian flag on the building of this state institution, which is a violation of the law about flags which was adopted in July 2011. The law states that a flag of an ethnic community can be hoisted on a state institution, but it should be smaller by a third compared with the state flag, in municipalities where more than 50% of the population belongs to this community.
An Albanian flag is fluttering also on the building of the municipality of Cair in Skopje. Next to it there is a flag celebrating the 100th anniversary of Albanian independence.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Albania’s independence the whole of Macedonia should be covered in red and black by 28 November, Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) Spokesperson Bujar Osmani said in a statement, causing sharp reactions in the media in Skopje.
The statement comes two days after a six-meter Albanian flag was hoisted on a 30-meter pole in Kicevo. As planned, the whole of Skopje should be covered with Albanian flags by 25 November.
“As a sign of mutual respect, all citizens in Macedonia should be part of Albanians’ joy and the question whether it is legal for an Albanian flag to flutter should not be raised, because Albanians may consider this to be a provocation,” said Bujar Osmani.
“An Albanian flag under the waters of Lake Ohrid,” reads a title of A1On television.
The article says that two young Albanians from Struga unfolded an Albanian flag underwater in Lake Ohrid. The flag was put at a 10-meter depth to mark the 100th anniversary of Albania’s independence.
“An Albanian flag should flutter in each house.” Hoisting an Albanian flag in Kicevo is legal and does not infringe on the feelings of other ethnic communities, says the Democratic Union for Integration in a statement, cited by Telma television.
The non-governmental organization Wake Up wants to cover the whole of Skopje with the red Albanian flag on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Albania’s independence. This will happen on 25 November, Kanal 5 television reported.
The website Bez Pardon says the following about the same initiative of the non-governmental organization Wake Up:
“Wake Up wants to wrap Skopje up with an Albanian flag.”
“Wake Up has invited Albanians to cover Skopje in red-and-black paint,” says In Press.
“Wake Up in pre-celebratory euphoria, will paint Skopje in red and black,” reports Kanal 5.
“Skopje wrapped up in Albanian flags on Thursday,” reads Skopje Info.
“DUI – we will cover Skopje with Albanian flags,” reports Sitel television.
“Ours should be bigger than the Bulgarian one” reads the title of the news on the website of Vest.
According to the media in Skopje the new pole at Deve Bair checkpoint will be the highest in the Balkans.
The 60-meter structure will be put at a small hill and if the Bulgarians want their flag to flutter at a higher place, they will have to erect a 75-meter pole, says Skopje.
The new pole was donated by a firm that is in charge of fitting all poles in the state and works on most Skopje 2014 projects. The government will pay nothing for the 60-meter pole, government sources told Vest.
At Deve Bair checkpoint, where a struggle for the height of the poles is underway, there are two poles now. The Macedonian one is 30 meters high and the Bulgarian one, which has been recently fixed, is 45 meters high, announced Sitel television.
Other media comment that the 60-meter pole and the Macedonian flag on it come after the Democratic Union for Integration started hoisting huge flags in the settlements with Albanian population. An Albanian flag which is about ten meters long and wide covers the façade of the Culture Center in Tetovo, writes Nova Makedonija.
According to Nova Makedonija there is no Macedonian flag on the building of this state institution, which is a violation of the law about flags which was adopted in July 2011. The law states that a flag of an ethnic community can be hoisted on a state institution, but it should be smaller by a third compared with the state flag, in municipalities where more than 50% of the population belongs to this community.
An Albanian flag is fluttering also on the building of the municipality of Cair in Skopje. Next to it there is a flag celebrating the 100th anniversary of Albanian independence.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Albania’s independence the whole of Macedonia should be covered in red and black by 28 November, Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) Spokesperson Bujar Osmani said in a statement, causing sharp reactions in the media in Skopje.
The statement comes two days after a six-meter Albanian flag was hoisted on a 30-meter pole in Kicevo. As planned, the whole of Skopje should be covered with Albanian flags by 25 November.
“As a sign of mutual respect, all citizens in Macedonia should be part of Albanians’ joy and the question whether it is legal for an Albanian flag to flutter should not be raised, because Albanians may consider this to be a provocation,” said Bujar Osmani.
“An Albanian flag under the waters of Lake Ohrid,” reads a title of A1On television.
The article says that two young Albanians from Struga unfolded an Albanian flag underwater in Lake Ohrid. The flag was put at a 10-meter depth to mark the 100th anniversary of Albania’s independence.
“An Albanian flag should flutter in each house.” Hoisting an Albanian flag in Kicevo is legal and does not infringe on the feelings of other ethnic communities, says the Democratic Union for Integration in a statement, cited by Telma television.
The non-governmental organization Wake Up wants to cover the whole of Skopje with the red Albanian flag on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Albania’s independence. This will happen on 25 November, Kanal 5 television reported.
The website Bez Pardon says the following about the same initiative of the non-governmental organization Wake Up:
“Wake Up wants to wrap Skopje up with an Albanian flag.”
“Wake Up has invited Albanians to cover Skopje in red-and-black paint,” says In Press.
“Wake Up in pre-celebratory euphoria, will paint Skopje in red and black,” reports Kanal 5.
“Skopje wrapped up in Albanian flags on Thursday,” reads Skopje Info.
“DUI – we will cover Skopje with Albanian flags,” reports Sitel television.
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