The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, decorated the National and University Library "Sv. Kliment Ohridski" - Skopje, with the "Order of Merits for Macedonia", on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of its establishment.
The decoration is awarded for exceptional results in its seven decades of work in collecting, preserving and presenting the Macedonian spiritual creation, which has given a significant contribution to the development of education, science and culture, as well as the overall social development of the Republic of Macedonia and its affirmation in the world.

"In the past 70 years, the National and University Library "Sv. Kliment Ohridski" has been a treasury of our cultural heritage, spring of ideas, spiritual guardian of the Macedonian society and intellectual engine and overall economic development of the Republic of Macedonia. There is no past without library, as there is no future without it," President Ivanov said.

"In recent decades and years, the library began to reform, to network and digitize. The limitation of physical space is settled with the connectivity to the unlimited virtual space. The library adapts to the needs of its users. It started to walk toward a successful and sustainable library of the 21st century. Therefore, the Order of Merits for Macedonia is a token of appreciation to the library for the preservation of our freedom. But at the same time, this Order brings responsibility to continue towards achieving the goal: the Library to be a place where reading, research and excellence are encouraged by the privileges granted to the curiosity," President Ivanov said at the ceremony.

The Minister of Culture, Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska said that the National Library is a matrix of our written heritage and preserves valuable artifacts that speak about our origin and identity.
"This temple of knowledge keeps many truths, starting from the fragment of Lenten Triodion of the 13th century, as the oldest preserved manuscript of the Old Slavic period, to other books and manuscripts from many centuries ago, being an invaluable record of the history of the Macedonian language and the Macedonian people," Minister Kanceska-Milevska said.

She mentioned the capital literary projects of the National Library in the recent years, its international cooperation with similar institutions in the world and reminded of the project of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Ministry of Culture "Digital Library – Promotion of the NUL "Sv. Kliment Ohridski", thus, as she said, it ensures longevity of the valuable literary wealth possessed by the Republic of Macedonia.

The Director of the NUL, Ivan Zarov, expressed his thankfulness for the Order and said that in building this national institution through the seven decades of existence deserving are generations Macedonian intellectuals and his predecessors who have been in charge of the institution.

"For us, this award is great recognition for the role and the high position the library has for seven decades in the Pantheon of the Macedonian culture and is embedded in the foundations of the social, cultural, scientific, intellectual rise of the Macedonian state. It summarizes the overall collective memory of our people, its spirit and worthy place in the modern community of nations," Zarov said.

"Sv. Kliment Ohridski" is founded on November 23, 1944. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the National and University Library, an exhibition titled "From the treasury of the National Library" was opened, which features part of the wealth of the Library: old Slavic, oriental and modern manuscripts, musical compositions, old maps, rare periodicals, as well as some of the editions of the Library and selected publications dedicated to Sv. Kliment Ohridski. Publications on the occasion of the jubilee were also promoted and prices awarded to former directors of the National Library, library staff and to people who have contributed to its development.