Wednesday, 26 August 2020
ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT XHAFERI AT THE SOLEMN ACADEMY ON THE OCCASION OF 110TH ANNIVERSARY OF MOTHER TERESA’S BIRTH
Distinguished Director of the Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of Albanians, Mr. Asani,
Distinguished representatives of the Citizens' Association "Mother Teresa of Skopje"
Distinguished representatives of the character and deed of Mother Teresa,
Dear Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I have the honour, on behalf of the Members of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia and on my own behalf, today, when we celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of Mother Teresa, a symbol of endless humanity, symbol of love for humans, of care and compassion for the sick, the poor and not so happy in life, here, in front of this memorial plaque that symbolizes the foundations of the birthplace of this world-renowned Albanian, to express and share with all of you present here, the feeling of sincere pride that I am part of this gathering. On this occasion, I would like to congratulate the organizers of this solemn academy, t
he Department for the Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Teresa at the Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of Albanians and the Citizens' Association "Mother Teresa of Skopje", who with the greatest commitment and earnestness continue to nurture respect for her work, to keep alive the spirit of her tireless work and instill in future generations the same sense of humanity, solidarity, sacrifice and peace of mind that comes when doing a good deed, giving a helping hand and opening one’s arms to embrace another human being, whether known or unknown. Today, more than ever, we need these qualities. Today, when the world is facing the COVID - 19 pandemic, a global threat to the health of all mankind, a huge blow to the foundations of every health and economic system, we all equally need mutual support. We live in a strange time, with new, unknown challenges, but doesn't every stage of social development have its own specific difficulties?! Yet, what remains the same in the face of every difficulty, no matter how unknown, is the given hand, the solidarity and the sacrifice of comfort and easiness, because misfortune knocks on every door...
Distinguished,
I appeal to all of you present here, and to all admirers of this esteemed figure, to be conscientious, responsible, to take care of each other, to take care of the close, of the known and unknown, and to contribute in this way to the victory over this evil that has captured the world. This is our challenge, this is the battle that 
the current generations have to fight to defeat the modern enemy, so small and yet so big. However, as the great Mother Teresa said, I quote: "Go home and love your family", end of quote, because it all starts with the family, doesn't it?!
Dear attendees, thank you for your attention!