The Security Council welcomed steps taken by the Government of Macedonia to consolidate a multiethnic society within its borders. Furthermore, it also appreciated the Ohrid Agreement signed in the Macedonian capital Skopje in August 2001 between four political parties and President Boris Trajkovski. Efforts of the Macedonian government, the European Union, NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to prevent the escalation of ethnic tensions and manage the security situation in the region were welcomed.