The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Slovak Republic, attended today the promotion of the "Proclamation" of Constantine the Philosopher, St. Cyril.

The Ambassador of the Slovak Republic, H.E. Mr. Martin Bezak, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Nikola Poposki, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia, Mrs. Kanceska Milevska, addressed the attendees at the promotion.

An exhibition was opened as part of the celebration, "1150 years since the advent of Constantine and Methodius on the Slovak territory".

Patron of the promotion was President Ivanov, who also addressed the guests.

Distinguished Attendees,

Today, in our ancient city of Ohrid, with this promotion, symbolically, we are marking two decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Slovak Republic. We celebrate the deep roots of the Macedonian-Slovak friendship.

The language is the key to understanding culture, traditions and worldview of one nation, its past, present and future. The language is the people's soul. Sometimes we forget what was once said, yet, the written word remains forever. Through the letter, authentically, we pass on to the future generations what we have inherited from our ancestors.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Reading the "Proclamation" of the Constantine the Philosopher to the Slavs, we realize why he and his brother Methodius were called the Slavic apostles. "All nations are naked without the book", says Constantine the Philosopher. Without letters, all nations are vulnerable, unprotected, exposed to the storms of history. Nations without their own literacy have always been easy prey to those who wanted to see them divided, conquered and assimilated. 12 centuries ago, the Slavic peoples were facing exactly that challenge.

The Proclamation awakens the nations to give them the greatest strength, the greatest power - the knowledge. Creating and spreading the Glagolitic alphabet from Macedonia, Cyril and Methodius gave us spiritual and creative freedom. They created a written language and used it for the translation of the Scriptures and for spreading of Christianity among the Slavs.

Esteemed Excellencies,

The battle of the holy Cyril and Methodius aimed at enabling the Slavs to learn themselves the word of God, to create and transmit their culture, tradition, to write their own history. The right to own language, the right to education, the right to identification are even today universal, fundamental and European human values.
The battle of our generation is to nurture and affirm their legacy, thanks to which we have our own worldview today, our uniqueness and identity.

Cyril and Methodius left us a communication code that connects not only generations, but peoples and nations. Through the literacy code we continue to build and promote the excellent bilateral relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the Slovak Republic, just as it befits two friendly countries and peoples.

Thank you.