On the occasion of May 5, Macedonian Language Day, President Stevo Pendarovski sent the following message:
Today we celebrate May 5, Macedonian Language Day, the protector of our identity, present and future, the root of our being, a day when we celebrate our uniqueness. Today we pay respect to the Macedonian language, which is the guardian of our collective memory.
The Macedonian language, with a long oral and written tradition, is the seed of the Macedonian state and an urge that leads us, with honor and dignity, achieve and preserve our place in the world. Therefore, we have an obligation towards the future generations to preserve, develop and affirm the Macedonian language as our stake for the future, to support domestic and international scientific research on the Macedonian language and its dialects, to nurture the particularities of the Macedonian language and to use it correctly to preserve it for future generations.
But, let us not forget our ancestors and their struggle to prove the uniqueness of the Macedonian language. We are reminded of all those who, throughout the centuries, have incorporated themselves into the written Macedonian language with their work. Among them is Krste Petkov Misirkov, who told us that the language is our spiritual treasure. We remember with reverence the codifier of the Macedonian language, Blaze Koneski, who taught us that our language is our only undivided homeland.
In the year when we mark the centenary of the birth of the Macedonian poet Aco Shopov, one of the founders of modern Macedonian literature, let me point out the necessity to invest more in the Macedonian language and literature because only then will we be a dignified part of the European cultural and educational space.
Congratulations on the Macedonian Language Day!
