For the second time at an event held in Pustec, the Albanian anthem was left out of the protocol and only the anthem of North Macedonia was played. After the controversy, Mayor Pali Kolefski apologized and distanced himself from the organization, saying he had requested that Albania’s state symbol also be respected.
Reaction of the Mayor of Pustec
Pali Kolefski said that, before the event took place, he had asked the organizers for the official program and had objected to the ceremony opening only with the Macedonian anthem.
According to him, he had asked the head of the VMRO Albania association that, when the anthem of North Macedonia was performed, the Albanian anthem must also be included, considering this a mandatory part of protocol at a ceremony held on the territory of Albania.
“We were not organizers, we were invited”
Kolefski said that the Municipality of Pustec was not an organizer of the festival, but only an invited participant in the event. Nevertheless, he publicly apologized for the absence of the Albanian anthem.
In his statement, he stressed that the residents are Albanian citizens and that the state anthem must be respected at every official reception or ceremony of this kind.
The presence of Mickoski and questions over protocol
North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski was also present at the event. According to the version given by Kolefski, he too had not reacted well to the situation that was created.
Despite this, the Albanian anthem was still not performed during the event, raising further questions over how protocol was applied and who bore responsibility for this decision.
What is fueling debate in this case
According to the report, in such cases the anthem of the host country should be performed first and then that of the guest state. In this case, on the territory of the Republic of Albania, only the Macedonian anthem was heard.
This makes the issue more serious than ceremonial negligence, especially since it concerned a public event attended by local officials and the prime minister of another state. So far, organizational responsibility remains unclear, while the reaction came only after the case became public.
It remains unclear why the request to include the Albanian anthem was not implemented, even though according to the mayor it had been made in advance.
The case has once again opened debate over respect for state symbols at public events held in Albania, especially when local institutions say they were not the direct organizers.