The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, received today a group of participants at the International Scholarly Convention "Days of Macedonian Studies at MANU", which is held at the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

The meeting was attended by Prof. Dr. Marjan Markovik, organizer of the conference and member of MANU, prominent linguist, professor of Macedonian, Slavic and Balkan languages, Dr. Motoki Nomachi, from Japan, Prof. Dr. Christina Kramer, a professor of Macedonian language from the University of Toronto, Prof. Dr. Jan Sokolovski from the University of Wroclaw from Poland and Prof. Dr. Tatjana Vendina, who leads the prestigious project of the Slavic Linguistic Atlas at the International Committee of Slavic Studies.

Professor Markovik informed about the project of MANU "Digital Resources of the Macedonian Language" (http://drmj.manu.edu.mk/). Professors Kramer and Sokolovski informed about the increased interest in learning the Macedonian language in Canada and Poland. The Japanese professor Motoki Nomachi, at the meeting with President Ivanov, shared his views and the current scientific work on the Macedonian literary language, as well as the story of the lost grammar he spoke of at today's scientific convention at MANU. The Japanese Professor Nomachi in the Moscow archives found the Grammar of the Macedonian language, written in 1946-47 by the Russian Professor Samuel Borisovich Bernshtein, commissioned by the Presidium of ASNOM, a book that was published and considered missing for 70 years.

At the meeting with the Slavists, President Ivanov stressed the importance of the work of the professors of Macedonian language and thanked them for their great contribution to the study and affirmation of the Macedonian language.

"The scientific approach and systematic study of the Macedonian language are of utmost importance for its overall affirmation, especially in times of unprincipled attempts to rename it", President Ivanov said at the meeting.

The Macedonian President stressed that the language is the foundation of the identity of every nation and its denial is a blow to fundamental human rights and dignity. In this context, President Ivanov stressed that the Macedonian language, as an official language of the state, is a lingua franga, an expression of the unity of our country, and a basic communication code that connects and unites all segments of the Macedonian multiethnic, multi-religious and multilingual society.