Skopje, 7 July 2021 (MIA) — On behalf of the government, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi and government secretary-general Muhamed Zeqiri signed agreements with 33 companies to support the local event industry in organizing celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the country’s independence. The event organizers will hire more than 130 contractors and more than 500 domestic entertainment acts. According to a press release, the 33 events will feature only local performers in order to support artists and entertainers who were “directly hit by the pandemic over the last year and a half,” Deputy PM Bytyqi said. The funding is part of the government’s fifth rescue package, he said, adding that the 33 event organizers will be given Mden 61,499,000, or around EUR 1 million, in total. Also, Bytyqi said, the government on Tuesday adopted another proposal to support the event industry with Mden 15,443,661 in direct financing from the sixth rescue package. Zeqiri, the government’s secretary-general, said the government’s call for projects was met with great interest and “the content that was offered has fully met our expectations.” He added that the state-funded events will "give citizens a summer to remember, filled with celebrations, festivals, concerts, screenings, performances, workshops, exhibitions, plays, conferences, sessions, sports and various other public events” as part of the government’s program to mark North Macedonia’s 30 years of independence. mr/