North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski is in Pustec on an official visit, but the event has once again raised questions about respect for state protocol on the territory of Albania. According to reporting from the scene, the Albanian anthem was once again not performed.
The same situation is repeated
According to reporting from Pustec, Mickoski is taking part in a festival during his official stay in the area. What stands out is that, for the second time within a short period, a failure to observe state protocol has been reported.
In such cases, according to the rule mentioned in the report, the Albanian national anthem should be performed first and then the Macedonian anthem. At today’s event, according to the same account, only the Macedonian anthem was played.
Questions over organization and responsibility
The absence of the Albanian anthem at an official event held within the territory of the Republic of Albania raises questions not only about the conduct of the foreign delegation, but also about the standard of the local institutions that allowed the ceremony to take place under these conditions.
The mayor of Pustec Municipality, Pali Kolefski, was also present at the event. Alongside him was Edmond Themelko, the former mayor, mentioned as the organizer of the event.
Why protocol was not implemented
So far, it remains unclear why the Albanian anthem was not respected, while no public explanation has been given for how the ceremony was administered. In the absence of an official clarification, the incident remains another episode that seriously calls into question respect for state protocol at such events.
The fact that the situation is being repeated for a second time makes the issue more than mere ceremonial negligence. At its core, it concerns the standard by which the Albanian state is represented at official events held on its own territory.
At this stage, the event remains reported as another case in which, during an official visit to Albania, only the Macedonian anthem was performed, while the Albanian anthem was absent.
The main question remains open: who bears responsibility for the failure to implement state protocol in Pustec?