President Stevo Pendarovski, on the occasion of celebrating August 2, Ilinden – Day of the Republic, visited the monastery “St. Prohor Pchinski”, where the first session of the Anti-Fascist Assembly of the People’s Liberation of Macedonia was held and flowers were laid in front of the memorial plaque of ASNOM.
After the ceremony, President Pendarovski expressed his gratitude to the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic and the Serbian Patriarch, Mr. Porfirius, who after a break of 18 years, made it possible to celebrate the state holiday in the monastery.
“This is the place where the modern Macedonian state was formed. For various reasons, we could not come here and at this place to celebrate this holiday, so we organized some alternative, parallel celebrations nearby, but not here, where the historical session of ASNOM was actually held. I hope that this is the beginning of a good tradition, in which we will celebrate August 2, our second Ilinden, right here, and from here on, as the old saying goes, we will come with all preparations made as it should be, to pay respect to those who established the Macedonian state in 1944,” said President Pendarovski.
President Pendarovski toured the monastery complex and paid tribute before the relics of St. Prohor Pchinski.
The state-church delegation included the Minister of Defense, Slavjanka Petrovska, the MPs in the Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia, Miroslav Jovanović and Lidija Tasevska, the Metropolitan of Kumanovo-Osogovo Mr. Gregory and Bishop of Stobi Mr. Jakov, as representatives of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archdiocese, as well as representatives from the Union of NOB fighters.
The Serbian side was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Nikola Selakovic, and the Bishop of Vranje, Mr. Pahomije, as a representative of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
