President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova received today Zorica Mitrovic, President of the National Council of the Macedonian National Minority in Serbia, and Marjan Jovanoski, Secretary of the Council, whose active work since 2004 has resulted in the inclusion of the Macedonian community in the Statute of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and the introduction of the Macedonian language in official use in several settlements.
The interlocutors expressed concern over the alarming decline in the number of Macedonian minority from almost 26 thousand in 2002, to less than 15 thousand in 2022, as well as the decrease in the number of speakers of the Macedonian language, from more than 14 thousand to only 8,375 in the same period.
According to the representatives of the Council, other minorities are also facing a similar demographic problem, as a result of: increased emigration, decreased birth rate and demographic aging.
They informed the President about the adoption of the new Strategy of the Macedonian National Council 2026-2030, in which the emphasis is placed on education in the Macedonian language and welcomed the adoption of the government’s Strategy for the Diaspora 2026-2030.
For the President, through learning, speaking and creating in the native Macedonian language, not only knowledge is transferred, but also a sense of national belonging and self-awareness is developed.
At the same time, she welcomed the decision of the provincial government of Vojvodina to allocate funds for the work of the Macedonian National Council.
According to the President, Macedonians in Serbia contribute to good relations between the two countries. She expressed support for the Ceremonial Academy on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the organized settlement of Macedonians in the Republic of Serbia, as well as the unveiling of the sculpture “Mother Macedonia” by the renowned Macedonian sculptor Sinisa Noveski, in Novi Sad.
