Nevzat Halili (born September 15, 1946), is a Macedonian politician and teacher of English. Halili was first elected to the

Macedonian parliament The Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia ( mk, Собрание на Република Северна Македонија, sq, Kuvendi i Republikës së Maqedonisë së Veriut), or the Sobranie ( mk, Собрание, "Assembly"), is t ...

in 1991 and is a member of the

Party for Democratic Prosperity The Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP ( al, Partia për prosperitet demokratik, PPD; mk, Партија за демократски просперитет, ПДП) is an ethnic Albanian political party in North Macedonia. The party was fo ...

. In an open letter to president Kiro Gligorov in 1993, Halili argued that the

Albanians in Macedonia The Albanians in North Macedonia ( sq, Shqiptarët në Maqedoninë e Veriut, mk, Албанци во Северна Македонија) are the second largest ethnic group in North Macedonia, forming 446,245 individuals or 24.3% of the reside ...

were discriminated against in the state administration and the public sector. He was minister without portfolio in the second government of

Branko Crvenkovski Branko Crvenkovski ( mk, Бранко Црвенковски, pronounced ; born 12 October 1962) is a Macedonian politician who served as Prime Minister of Macedonia from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2002 to 2004, and as President of Macedonia f ...

(1994-1998). During the 1990s, Halili was sentenced to prison for participation in demonstrations and preventing police officers from exercising their duty. In 2001, Halili joined the National Democratic Party established by Kastriot Haxhirexha and Xhezair Shaqiri ("''Commander Hoxha''"). He was later linked with several paramilitary organisations campaigning for the unification of Albanian-populated territories in the Balkans. On 2 July 2002, the US state Department blocked the assets of Halili for providing leadership or material support to armed insurgents in the western Balkans. This activity threatened international stabilisation efforts in the region. Halili was arrested in 2006 in

Prishtina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

on suspicions of arms trafficking, but was released after eight months in custody. In January 1992, the Republic of Ilirida, a territorial entity, was self-proclaimed by Nevzat Halili and other Albanian activists in

Struga Struga ( mk, Струга , sq, Strugë) is a town and popular tourist destination situated in the south-western region of North Macedonia, lying on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The town of Struga is the seat of Struga Municipality. Name The nam ...

. The republic would cover approximatively half of Macedonia's territory and aimed at uniting all Albanians under former Yugoslavia. Later on, the aim of the republic was that of favoring the federalization of Macedonia. On 19 September 2014, Halili read out a declaration of an "independent Republic of Ilirida" at

Skanderbeg Square The Skanderbeg Square () is the main plaza in the centre of Tirana, Albania. The square is named after the Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu. The total area is about 40,000 square metres. The Skanderbeg Monument dominates the ...

in Skopje to a few dozen ethnic Albanians.

References

{{Albanian-Macedonian conflict Albanian nationalism in North Macedonia People from Tetovo Municipality Albanians in North Macedonia 1946 births Living people Albanian separatism Albanian nationalists