Minister of Internal Affairs Panche Toskoski today addressed the promotion of the Protocol for the Treatment of Stateless Persons, alongside Minister of Health Azir Aliu and the Head of the OSCE Mission in Skopje, Ambassador Kilian Val.
The event highlighted that the Protocol represents an important tool for enhancing institutional coordination and ensuring a systematic approach in identifying and resolving cases of stateless individuals.
Minister Toskoski emphasized in his address that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has a proactive approach in tackling this challenge, stressing that citizenship is a fundamental human right and a prerequisite for the realization of a range of other rights and freedoms.
"Citizenship is one of the basic human rights and represents a legal bond between the individual and the state. In recent times, we have made significant efforts to address the issue of statelessness, achieving remarkable progress. Our country is the first in the region and beyond to successfully resolve such cases, for which we have received recognition from the United Nations, the European Commission, and the Council of Europe. The protocol we are promoting today represents the next step towards systematic, timely, and coordinated action, aimed at completely overcoming the risks of statelessness," Minister Toskoski stated.
He added that by establishing clear procedures and mechanisms for cooperation among institutions, timely identification of at-risk cases and their effective resolution will be enabled, especially when it comes to minors.
During the event, it was emphasized that Macedonia, with the support of international partners, continues to enhance its legal and institutional framework in accordance with international standards, including conventions for the protection and reduction of statelessness.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs remains committed to further strengthening inter-institutional cooperation, with the aim of ensuring effective protection of human rights and enhancing legal security for all citizens.
