Distinguished guests,
Esteemed Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends,

Extraordinary is the feeling to make a toast on the occasion of the anniversary of the event which has marked the second decade of Macedonia’s independence. Almost ten years ago, on August 13th, 2001, with the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, Macedonia enriched its self-reliance, independence and sovereignty with the desire for a stable and functional multiethnic democracy.

In the days that followed the signing of the Framework Agreement, the Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney with encouragement stated:

“From what I know of the Macedonian spirit, I know there is a Macedonian ability to keep facing the light... and sing the song of the future.“

Today, a decade after these visionary words were spoken on the shores of Lake Ohrid, we and our children live the future of which Heaney spoke. And, even more.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Throughout the past ten years, we have rediscovered, re-acknowledged and upgraded our greatest value, which is also our greatest strength – the century-old tradition of coexistence and tolerance that we are proud of. Tradition which is the essence of the Macedonian model of integration without assimilation, integration with respect of the existing cultural, ethnic, linguistic, religious and other diversities.

The Ohrid Framework Agreement is only a confirmation of the heritage left by our fathers – love thy neighbor. The inclusive model is one of the pillars of our security, stability and economic prosperity because it creates favorable conditions for building internal peace. But, as in any real democracy, we are talking about a process, and not for a finished project. Therefore, on a daily basis, this common model of ours is being upgraded and improved, a model which means enjoying rights but also respecting and sharing responsibilities arising from the constitutional order.

Dear friends,

The decades-long Macedonian experience has proven that, regardless how small territorially a country is, it is as strong as the aspiration of all its citizens toward a common future. And the aspiration of the Macedonian citizens towards the European and Euro-Atlantic future is clear and unambiguous. This is demonstrated through the great support for NATO and the European Union membership. It is a clear sign of which way we should follow.
 
Esteemed Excellencies,

For us, Macedonians, Albanians, Serbs, Roma, Turks, Vlachs, and Bosniaks, for all Macedonian citizens regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliation, the only motivating and driving light is the commitment to be equal part of the European and Euro-Atlantic family. Therefore, our allies, partners and friends should remain consistent to the deeds of the great visionaries and architects of the European peace project.

That is the only way we can make the dream of our fathers come true for a democratic, European and Euro-Atlantic Macedonia. Making this dream come true, we have an investment to provide to the great European and Euro-Atlantic family. That is our model of functional multiethnic democracy. We can enrich the European values with our model of integration without assimilation.

On this note, at the very end, I raise this glass to the future of Macedonia and all its citizens!