Macedonia took a conclusive step Wednesday toward declaring Albanian the country's second official language, with lawmakers approving the measure amid protests inside parliament and outside the building.
In a public statement the President of the Republic of Albania, Ilir Meta, defined the adoption of this law by the Macedonian Parliament as an important and historical act not only for the Albanians but also for the European future of this country.
The motion passed with 64 votes in the 120-seat parliament, but was disrupted by the conservative opposition. Former conservative Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski tried to prevent parliamentary speaker Talat Xhaferi from speaking by switching off his microphone.
His party also tried to delay the vote by tabling 35,000 amendments -- which Xhaferi, an ethnic Albanian, ignored.
Parliament had previously approved the measure, but the bill required a second vote after President Gjorge Ivanov refused to ratify it in January, citing constitutional grounds.