A political debate over language rights has emerged in North Macedonia, as Skënder Rexhepi questioned Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski on whether the Macedonian language should be mandatory for Albanian citizens.
Rexhepi raised concerns that recent discussions among government officials suggested, amid the economic crisis, the possible removal of Albanian-language interpreters and the idea of making Macedonian compulsory for all citizens.
He also claimed that the prime minister had warned Albanian ministers that they could face dismissal if they did not speak Macedonian.
In response, Mickoski stated that Macedonian is the official language across the entire territory, as defined by the Constitution, but emphasized that Albanian is also an official language.
“If you put on the headphones, you’ll see it is translated into Albanian. I have no problem with any language,” Mickoski said, adding that he even aims to learn Albanian in the future.
He rejected accusations of intolerance, encouraging the free use of the Albanian language and stressing that multilingualism is not an issue for him.
Rexhepi also raised concerns about the increasing number of Albanians losing jobs, while Mickoski responded that a law on fair representation, which has already passed the review of the Venice Commission, is expected to be presented to parliament in April.
