- Dear Ilija, please introduce yourself to our readers!
My name is Ilija Blazhevski and I come from Skopje,Macedonia! I am the informal youth leader of the Political Party Democrats (Demokrati) from Macedonia! Also, I am a member of the central committee of the Political party Democrats! - Look back at the start of your political activism. What was your motivation? What was the reason behind your decision to be actively engaged in politics?
My motivation for joining the political party Democrats and being part of the political life in Macedonia was and still is fighting against corruption, nepotism, bad political decisions towards EU integrations, and also the electoral system in Macedonia. These are some of the main issues in my country that made me decide to engage in politics. Entering politics wasn’t an easy decision to make. But as a reliable citizen of my country I asked myself who would bring good to my country if we, the honest people do not do that. And I realized that I can implement my ideas just by entering politics and having the influence to have a decisive role in many crucial questions for my country and the citizens of Macedonia! - What are the most valuable lessons you learned through political activism? What skills and knowledge helped you to acquire?
To be honest, I have faced good and bad moments. I have been to many seminars in my country and outside my country, and I have had a chance to meet different kinds of people. I can only say that we can learn from all people. Through activism it’s good that we make friendships and also maybe future cooperation. It’s very good to hear other people’s thoughts and have a discussion about different issues, and find a solid solution for them. Only with discussion can we have real democracy and bring the best for our country! - Share with us one memory, anecdote, or a story from your political experience that you cherish the most.
For me, the best thing is that I have met different people and I still have good relations with them today. Also, one big thing was that I met my friend Emir Galijasevic from Bosnia Herzegovina at one seminar in Montenegro and through the discussion he told me that he was a part of a new political party in Bosnia that fights for something new in Bosnia. At that moment my political party Democrats was new, and we decided to make connections with our senior leaders and make our parties cooperate as well, and yes that happened. We have invited them this year to join us in Skopje to celebrate with us our 5th year of establishing our political party. And also, they called us when they celebrated the 5th birthday of their own party, Platforma za Progres. So these seminars are meant to be because of the new relations that can be a starting point for further cooperation! - Why did you decide to join the Political Youth Network? Have you previously had experience in regional cooperation? What does regional cooperation mean to you?
I decided to join the PYN because I think we can have better regional cooperation if we cooperate together and exchange our knowledge for the good of our countries and for the progress of our political parties. I used to have many regional corporations until now, and I will keep cooperating with my friends from the region, and that is very crucial if we want to have a bright future for our region. For me, regional cooperation means respect and mutual understanding only for the good and the progress of our beloved countries that we were born in! - Nowadays, we are faced with global challenges that require a lot of solidarity and responsibility. What is your desired vision for the region in the next 10 years? What message do you have for the politically active young people in the region?
I think that we have enough global challenges! We are facing global warming, ongoing wars, and tough economic issues! Usually, I want to have a vision for the next 50 years, not 10 years. I have a message to the young political activists to be honest, be transparent, put their own personal interest at last place and put the interests of the country and the citizens first. If our people are happy and satisfied, then we are going to be satisfied and that is the only reason we need to be in politics!
