A BRITISH DOCUMENT ON THE DIPLOMATIC LEGATIONS IN BULGARIA IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE OUTBREAK OF THE BALKAN WARS

The task of diplomacy in every state is to guide and regulate its relations with other international actors, primarily through peaceful means, communication, and negotiation. At the same time, one of its key functions is to inform and analyse — essentially, to collect information from or about other countries, analyse it, and submit it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This very function of diplomacy is the focus of the document presented in this paper. This confidential report, dated January 1912, was sent by H. O. Bax-Ironside, a diplomatic representative of the United Kingdom holding the rank of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Bulgaria, to the British Foreign Secretary, Edward Grey. It contains an analysis of the diplomatic representatives — primarily of the Great Powers and Balkan states — stationed in the Bulgarian capital who were serving in that role during 1911 (namely, the representatives of France, Italy, Greece, Germany, Russia, Serbia, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Romania). The detailed analysis presented in this document clearly demonstrates that Bax-Ironside was an experienced diplomat who conducted a remarkably precise psycho-physical evaluation of his colleagues, as well as an assessment of their political and diplomatic capabilities. This is especially important given that psycho-physical analysis plays a key role in understanding the behaviour, intentions, and decisions of foreign states and their leaders, ministers, diplomats, and consuls. Furthermore, such analysis serves as a tool for forecasting reactions and adjusting diplomatic strategies accordingly. In this context, the British diplomat analyses his colleagues’ thought processes, communication styles, values, traumas, ambitions, and their responses in crisis situations, under pressure, or during negotiations.Задачата на дипломатијата на секоја држава е да го насочува и да го уредува односот на таа држава со другите меѓународни субјекти, и тоа преку мирољубиви средства, комуникација и преговори. Истовремено, нејзината функција подразбира, меѓу другото, и информирање и анализирање, што всушност значи собирање информации од/за други држави, нивна анализа и доставување до Министерството за надворешни работи. Токму оваа задача на дипломатијата е тема на документот што го презентираме во оваа статија. Овој доверлив извештај од јануари во 1912 година, испратен од Х. O. Бакс-Ајронсајд, дипломатски претставник во ранг на ополномоштен министер на Обединетото Кралство во Бугарија, до министерот за надворешни работи на Обединетото Кралство, Едвард Греј, содржи анализа на дипломатските претставници, главно, на Големите сили и на балканските држави во бугарската престолнина, кои ја извршувале таа функција во текот на 1911 година (тоа се ополномоштените министри на: Франција, Италија, Грција, Германија, Русија, Србија, Австро-Унгарија, Турција и на Романија). Детаљната анализа изложена во овој документ многу јасно покажува дека Бах-Ајронсајд е искусен дипломат, кој многу прецизно прави психофизичка анализа на своите колеги, но и анализа на нивните политички, односно дипломатски способности. Ова е особено значајно ако се има предвид дека психолошката анализа игра клучна улога во разбирањето на однесувањето, намерите и на одлуките на странските држави и на нивните лидери, министри, дипломати и конзули. Од друга страна, психолошката анализа служи и како алатка за предвидувања на реакциите и за приспособување на дипломатските стратегии. Во тој контекст, и британскиот дипломат кај своите колеги ги анализира начинот на размислување, стилот на комуникација, вредностите, траумите, амбициите и нивната реакција во кризни ситуации под притисок или при преговори

ROMAN CATHOLICS AND MUSLIMS IN GREECE: INTERRELIGIOUS AND INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE IN A BALKAN COUNTRY

This paper is intended to analyse Islamic presence in Modern Greece especially under theperspective of interreligious dialogue between Muslim refugees and Christian majority of Greekpopulation. In this context, many initiatives held by Roman Catholics in Greece, especially Jesuits,Franciscans, local Caritas, Sisters of Mother Theresa, are devoted to Muslim refugees and peopleof different migratory background. Humanitarian activity promoted by Roman Catholics favoursan interactive process with immigrants but also a fight for justice with the result of establishingan interfaith dialogue with Greek Orthodox Christians. The meeting with refugees is aimed notonly to give them the possibility of making an income, but also to restore the dignity of migrantpeople. So, for example, the Jesuit Refugee Center (JRS) and the Jesuit Welcome Center (JWC) aremeant to answer the urgent needs of people from Central Asia (Pakistan, Afghanistan), Northernand Sahel Africa (Morocco, Egypt, Somalia, Nigeria) and other countries with Muslim majority. Onthe other hand, these initiatives favour a regular daily routine through work and/or learning. Thisgoal inspired the “Pedro Arrupe Center”, a social justice and educational project, aimed to helpyoung refugees or children of families with migratory background to better pursue their schoolintegration process

RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE AS A KEY TO INTERETHNIC COOPERATION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country characterized by the interconnectedness of ethnicand religious affiliation, the country is home to three main ethnic groups (Serbs, Croats andBosnians) who are members of three different religions (Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Islam). Thehistory of Bosnia and Herzegovina is accompanied by deep religious and ethnic divisions and aspirations.The cause of conflict and intolerance in the country is often because of the different interestbetween all three religious parties. The intention of the authors of this paper is to draw attentionto the importance of religious dialogue in interethnic relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as themain key for spreading a culture of peace, mutual tolerance and understanding

Мултикултурните работилници и инклузијата на учениците Роми во основното образование

The Multicultural Workshops program was launched with an intention to enablestudents from different ethnic backgrounds to interact with each other through collaborativejoint activities designed to provide conditions for learning from each other about eachother’s culture.This paper presents the results from a quantitative pre- and post- intervention studycarried out in two turns in one ethically mixed primary school where Roma students attendclasses in Macedonian as a language of instruction. The participants were 58 ethnicMacedonian and 63 ethnic Albanian students from four age groups who took part in 12-15Multicultural Workshops that included Roma students. In order to assess the effects of theexposure to the workshops on their perception of Roma, all participants were given a custom-designed instrument to identify the degree of social distance, trust and stereotypes towardsthem, as well as group anxiety and willingness for positive action.Taking into account the results that show differences in the participants’ perceptionof Roma and in their readiness to interact with them before and after the program, thepaper concludes that, under defined conditions, this approach could be considered as an exampleof a good practice in integrating Roma students in primary education.Програмата „Мултикултурни работилници“ беше промовирана со цел научениците од различните етнички заедници да им се создадат можности за меѓу-себна интеракција преку различни колаборативни заеднички активности, дизајни-рани така да можат да им обезбедат услови на учесниците да учат едни од другиза културата на другите.Во овој труд се презентирани резултатите од квантитативното истра-жување спроведено во два наврати, во едно двојазично училиште во земјата кадешто учат и ученици Роми кои главно посетуваат настава на македонски јазик. Ис-питаници беа вкупно 58 ученици – Македонци и 63 Албанци од четири возрасни гру-пи кои учествуваа во циклус кој се состои од 12 до 15 мултикултурни работилнициво кои беа вклучени и ученици Роми. За да се процени ефектот од изложеноста напрограмата врз тоа како учениците ги перципираат Ромите, на сите им беше зада-ден инструмент со кој се идентификува изразеноста на социјалната дистанца,стереотипите и довербата кон нив, како и групната анксиозност и подготвеностаза позитивна акција.Земајќи ги предвид резултатите кои укажуваат на тоа дека кај учесници-те во програмата се појавиле разлики во тоа како ги перципираат Ромите по зав-ршувањето на циклусот работилници, се заклучува дека под определени услови, наовој пристап може да се гледа како на пример за добра практика во интеграција научениците Роми во основното образование

THE FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE CITIZENS RECOGNIZED BY THE INTERNATIONAL LAW AND DETERMINED BY THE CONSTITUTION, THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT AND THE REGULAR COURTS : DILEMMAS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL JUDGES

This paper examines the competence of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of North Macedonia to annul judgments rendered by regular courts, with a focus on the dilemmas arising from this competence and the varying constitutional court orders issued over several years. Considering that the Constitution grants the Constitutional Court the authority to independently regulate its work through an Act adopted by the Court itself, the issue discussed in this paper represents a highly significant constitutional and legal matter. It has profound implications for the functioning of the Constitutional Court, the relationship between the Constitutional Court and regular courts, and the overall coherence of the legal order. The paper analyzes previous constitutional court practices in this area, offers a critical evaluation of these practices, and proposes an approach that reinforces the constitutionally established role of the Constitutional Court as the guardian of the Constitution and the protector of rights and freedoms within its jurisdiction

THE MACEDONIAN LANGUAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF SLAVIC CULTURE

Македонскиот јазик во својата долговековна традиција е поврзан директно со развојот на словенската култура. Нивната заемност се согледува од фактот, потврден во славистичката наука, дека старословенскиот јазик е заснован врз јужномакедонските говори од околината на Солун, поточно од македонските говори од селата: Сухо, Висока и Зарова, во Егејска Македонија. Во XIX век, поточно во 1896 година, словенечкиот славист Ватрослав Облак, проучувајќи го теренски македонскиот јазик, ја поставил македонската теорија за потеклото на старословенскиот јазик. Затоа е значајна улогата на македонскиот јазик во контекст на словенската култура и комуникација. Идејата за духовно, културно и економско обединување на словенските народи била појавена во IX век, со Моравската мисија на сесловенските браќа Светите Кирил и Методиј. Идејата повторно била обновена кон крајот на XVIII и на почетокот на XIX век, период кога словенските народи се наоѓале под напливот на: германизација, унгаризација и елинизација. Тоа е период кога била воспоставена славистиката како наука, кога започнала интезивна соработка меѓу славистите, за да се сочува автохтоната словенска култура. Македонската културна преродба започнала со борба против елинизацијата, со борба за обнова на Охридската архиепископија и за враќање на старословенскиот јазик во богослужбите наспрема насилавоведениот грчки јазик, како и со отворањето училишта на народен јазик. Поради асимилаторските политики кон македонскиот народ, во XIX век и поради поделбата на Македонија во 1913 година со Букурешкиот договор, конечно, во 1945 година се случи кодификацијата на македонскиот јазик.The Macedonian language, through its centuries-old tradition, is directly connected with the development of Slavic culture. Their mutuality is seen from the fact, confirmed in Slavic science, that the Old Slavonic language is based on the South Macedonian speech, from the vicinity of Thessaloniki, more precisely from the Macedonian speeches from the villages of Suho, Visoka and Zarova in Aegean Macedonia. In the 19th century, more precisely in 1896, the Slovenian Slavist Vatroslav Oblak, studying the Macedonian language in the field, put forward the Macedonian theory for the origin of the Old Slavonic language. Therefore, the role of the Macedonian language in the context of Slavic culture and communication is significant. The idea for the spiritual, cultural and economic unification of the Slavic peoples, appeared in the 9th century, with the Moravian mission of the Pan-Slavic brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius. The idea was revived again in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period when the Slavic peoples were under the onslaught of Germanization, Hungarianization, and Hellenization. This was the period when Slavic studies were established as a science, when intensive cooperation between Slavists began, all to preserve the autochthonous Slavic culture. The Macedonian cultural revival had begun with a fight against Hellenization, through the efforts for restoration of the Ohrid Archbishopric and the return of the Old Church Slavonic language in church services instead of the forcibly introduced Greek language, as well as the opening of schools in the vernacular. Due to the assimilationist policies towards the Macedonian people in the 19th century and the division of Macedonia in 1913 with the Bucharest Treaty, the codification of the Macedonian language finally took place in 1945

GENDER PERSPECTIVE ON TAX POLICY

From ancient times until today, the main function of all tax systems remainsunchanged. Their key purpose is to generate revenues, while equity, fairness andnon-discrimination are established as fundamental principles of taxation. States usethe collected tax revenues to ensure proper functioning of society and to meetessential needs of all citizens. In recent years, the demand for gender equality hasemerged as a critical aspect of these needs.Tax systems are generally considered neutral, designed to impact everyoneequally. All individuals and citizens are obliged to pay taxes and other public levies,as well to contribute in covering public expenditure regardless of gender, race,colour of skin, national and social origin, political and religious belief, property,and social status. Additionally, the language of the tax provisions does not mentiongender in a way that would possibly impose different tax treatment between menand women. Therefore, if taxpayers earn the same income, they will be taxed thesame and no one will be questioning gender (in)equity.Traditionally, tax policy is perceived from an economic point of viewfocusing on revenue generation and economic growth. On the other hand, thegender equality is often seen as a social issue. However, significant disparities existbetween men and women in the labor market, including differences in employmentstatus (formal vs. informal), job types, and working hours, as well as distinctconsumption patterns influenced by gender roles, particularly in caregiving andhousehold responsibilities. Recognizing these disparities, governments have begunto acknowledge the importance of gender equity and have started to implementmeasures that are expected to focus on gender biases within tax policies.This paper aims to: (i) explore how tax systems may accidentally perpetuategender inequalities, and (ii) assess the extent to which states can use the tax policyas an instrument to promote and protect gender equality

CHRISTIANITY AND SECULARIZATION FOLLOWING THE IDEAS OF ŽELJKO MARDEŠIĆ

Following the interpretation of the famous Croatian sociologist Željko Mardešić (JakovJukić), this paper analyzes secularization in the context of contemporary sociology of religion.Considering various social, cultural, and religious changes, the presented secularization processis the origin of the sudden and unexpected flourishing of various forms of new religiosity and thealarming appearance of relics of the past, i.e., the increasingly present fundamentalism and integralismin major religions. According to Željko Mardešić, the secularization process consists ofthree levels and includes society, the Church, and – most deeply – the individual person. The individualfinds themselves in a strange gap. On the one hand, secularization swallows up and annulsthe sacred, while, on the other hand, the individual produces the sacred, which is not a substitutefor traditional religion, but something completely new and opposed. Željko Mardešić sees the futureof Christianity following in the footsteps of the Second Vatican Council, which seeks the effortof sincere questioning its state on the part of Christianity; to choose either political religiosity orauthentic religiosity with no political security. It is important to note that Christianity, deprived ofits many worldly roles, in the new secularization context is encouraged to focus on ritual celebrationand spiritual immersion to creatively transform society and cultural life. In this context, thereemerges an increasingly acceptable interpretation according to which, using Željko Mardešić’swords, secularization is seen as a happy event for historical Christianity, because it draws Christianitya little closer to the original evangelical truth and a more authentic living of the goodness ofits members. This event manifests in rejecting the collectivist and ideological vision of Christianityand advocates accepting the light of goodness rather than one’s own group, supporting freedomand the free human in a group defined by the community of people who believe in the person andteachings of Jesus Christ

ETHICAL, LEGAL, AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF EUTHANASIA AND ASSISTED SUICIDE

This paper provides an overview of the definition of the term euthanasia, itsforms, historical development and legal nature. In recent years, the issue ofeuthanasia and its legalization has often become the subject of stimulatingdiscussions. Within those discussions, supporters and opponents of the earlytermination of life appear, but there is no unified opinion on this topic. The reasonswhy nowadays the question of ceasing a human life is opened are evident.The great scientific achievements in the field of modern medicine, whichmake possible on one hand to protect and extend human life, and on the other hand,the great respect of society for the autonomy of the individual and the distancing ofthe traditional spiritual values. The issue of legalizing euthanasia goes through thehistorical stages of religion, ethics, medicine, law, but also the general culturalcontext while being examined through the prism of the individual view of each ofus, depending not only on our stage of life.Modern times are faced with homosexuality, surgical sex change, promotionof same-sex marriages and at the same time appeal for the acceptance of diversity,not as a difference but as a divergent given of the phenomena in the world aroundus as human values. This means that the stereotype of human values within the legalframework is broken in relation to the ethical, social, legal, religious pragma of theworld, in that case why should euthanasia be a stigmatization of doctors if it is theautonomous will of the sick or his relatives - in the instance of lackingconsciousness to decide for themselves - or when there is no possibility of cure.States have different legislation in their legal system regarding the makingof this decision. Euthanasia is legalized in the legal legislation of some Europeancountries (Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium). Other countrieshave pronounced sanctions for the perpetrators in their legal system (NorthMacedonia, Croatia, Czech Republic). Others go to the opposite extreme, wherethey have legalized the euthanasia of terminally ill children (Netherlands,Belgium). On top of this different way of regulating legal systems in countriesaround the world, there are countless circumstances that have an impact whenmaking the decision whether this act will be sanctioned. Especially from ascientific, cultural and religious aspect. Today, the number of countries that legalizepassive euthanasia is gradually increasing, choosing a way and opportunity to helpthe sick to reduce their suffering in a dignified way, but the number of countrieswhere it is sanctioned is still greater. A unified ethically accepted solution does notyet exist, so in view of that, the matter of deciding to end the life of an incurably illperson remains as a verdict for the legislative bodies in each country separately. From this research, I came to the knowledge that seriously ill peoplesuffering from an incurable disease and their loved ones are not prevented fromshortening their suffering in a dignified way in a country where euthanasia islegalized.In this paper, relevant court judgments from the practice of the EuropeanCourt of Human Rights of certain countries (Switzerland and France) will bepresented

THE LEGAL STATUS OF SUCCESSOR STATES OF THE FORMER SOCIALIST FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA (SFRY) IN CONTEMPORARY NUCLEAR GEOPOLITICS

The objective of this research paper is to analyze the legal status of successor states of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) – namely, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia – as current non-nuclear-weapons states (NNWSs) in contemporary nuclear geopolitics. In that respect, the research approach implemented includes some comparative remarks on Yugoslavia’s nuclear program through Marshal Josip Broz Tito’s legacy, its international relations and nuclear cooperation with the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.) and the United States (U.S.) before its dissolution, as well as legal commentaries on the successor states’ nuclearrelated legislation and policy. With the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) built in 1981 as a joint venture by Slovenia and Croatia which were both part of Yugoslavia at the time, results derived from this research paper imply that the successor states should reinforce their position in global nuclear affairs through both national and international legislation addressing nuclear weapons, in addition to resolving the question of using nuclear energy within their respective domestic borders. By such virtue, the value of this research paper lies in the successor states learning from their Yugoslav past for the purposes of ensuring and strengthening national security as current NNWSs in times of nuclear tensions