Tuesday, 21 December 2021
ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT XHAFERI ON THE OCCASION OF 21 DECEMBER, THE DAY OF TURKISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA
Distinguished President of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Şentop,Distinguished members of the Delegation,
Dear Minister of Education, Ms. Carovska,
Dear President of MATUSITEB, Mr. Emin,
Distinguished Vice President of TIKA, Mr. Chevik,
Distinguished Excellency Mr. Sekizqok,
Dear guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I have the honor and pleasure, on behalf of the Members of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia and on my behalf, to welcome the highly respected President of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Mustafa Şentop and the respected members of the Delegation, and to wish them a warm welcome in the Republic of North Macedonia, now traditionally on this beautiful holiday. The fact that today we celebrate 21 December, the Day of Turkish Language Teaching in the Republic of North Macedonia,
is a sign that the bilateral relations between our two countries are being nurtured extensively and sincerely, in the spirit of mutual respect, understanding, partnership and active cooperation in many fields of mutual interest. Therefore, let me take this opportunity to congratulate you, dear colleague, and all those present in this hall, but also all our fellow citizens, members of the Turkish community, on the occasion of this holiday, with which both institutionally and as citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia, we express respect for the culture, identity and uniqueness of the Turkish community, which is an integral part of the social fabric of the Republic of North Macedonia. This is a holiday that is celebrated with special emphasis on education, creation and nurturing of the Turkish language which are the best food for the soul and mind of a people, because in a country where members of many different ethnic communities live, it is essential to enable creation, functioning and use of the mother tongue of each community, in order to establish relations of sincere respect, trust and loyalty to the state, but also to contribute to a better understanding of the differences that make us unique.
Distinguished guests,
Undoubtedly, the Turkish language, culture and customs are so domesticated and integrated in all cultures, customs and languages that exist and are active in our country, that we do not feel them as distant and unknown, but they only enrich the image even more. No matter how big or small that piece of the puzzle is, let it be the smallest, it is still as important as the biggest because, if it did not exist, the picture would not be complete. And the Republic of North Macedonia is a country rich in many cultures, languages, religions and all the accompanying elements that represent the identity and uniqueness of each community individually and are its trademark, while the practice of the same, the enjoyment of those rights and freedoms in all their beauty in unity, is the most authentic indicator of the degree of democratic maturity of a society, of a highly developed civic consciousness and, most importantly, consistent respect for the accepted and ratified universal human rights and freedoms globally.
As President of the Legislature of the Republic of North Macedonia, I would like to emphasize something that I have said many times before – I am unreservedly committed to parliamentary diplomacy, to establishing parliamentary relations and cooperation where there is none, to reviving where already established but lacking any significant intensity, and to deepening and raising to an even higher level where those relations and cooperation are at an excellent level, as are, I will say with great certainty, between the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey. Cooperation, in addition to the bilateral level, also takes place at multilateral level, within the international parliamentary assemblies where the two legislatures are members and where the Delegations of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia regularly support the candidacies of Turkish MPs for members of the executive bodies of those assemblies. Our partnership, in addition to the South East European Cooperation Process, is now extended to our membership in NATO and PABSEC, where together we contribute to building world peace and prosperity.
Today's joint commemoration with the respected colleague from Turkey is another confirmation of the mutual desire to intensify cooperation and mutual visits at the highest state level, convinced that they will result in positive and beneficial facilitations of political, economic and any other cooperation between our two countries, and I am pleased to note that for the friendly and kinship relations between ordinary citizens of the two countries, nothing should be added, that is, the ties are so strong, historical, traditional and warm, that they can serve as an example for all countries in the region.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Republic of North Macedonia is strongly committed to the country's Euro-Atlantic integration into the European Union, regardless of the numerous obstacles that stand in its way. Also in the promotion and sharing of common values and responsibilities of NATO, we highly value the successful cooperation with the Republic of Turkey in NATO, now as two equal members. As allies in the Alliance, we share the same values of peace and stability in the region, through good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation. And the opportunities for mutual support and cooperation are endless, when it comes to traditionally sincere and good friendships based on true values, whose bridge of connection are the citizens of both countries. Such relations can only go upwards, always stronger and, of course, for the benefit of the citizens. By the word friend, I mean a friend in both good and evil. The outstretched hand of the Turkish people always touches our hearts. It does so in this difficult time of pandemic, when humanity is facing global health and economic risks. We are grateful for your presence, cooperation, support and assistance in every segment of our existence as a country, I also express my respect to TIKA and the MAARIF Foundation.
I wish you good health and long life, and may the friendship with the Republic of Turkey last forever!
Thank you for your attention!