Skopje, 20 July 2023 (MIA) - The Macedonian diaspora is a key partner to the homeland. Almost 18 to 20 percent of the GDP comes from the Macedonian diaspora, so the goal is for it to become an even bigger investor, not only by providing funds to relatives and friends, but by investing into the local society, the president of the United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD), Metodija Koloski announced.

At Thursday's conference, before the start of the first UMD Macedonia Symposium and Experience in Skopje, he said that their goal and mission is uniting the Macedonian diaspora.

"The goal is to expand UMD's network across Macedonia, because the Macedonian diaspora is a key partner to the homeland, 18 to 20 percent of the GDP comes from the diaspora, which is why we want it to grow and become an even bigger investor, not only by providing funds to relatives and friends, but also by investing in the local society," Koloski said.

He mentions a few projects they are currently working on, including expanding the Friends of Macedonia group into the United States Congress, as well as the Canadian and Australian Parliament.

As Koloski stated, they will again hold several resolutions in Congress where September will be celebrated as the month of Macedonian-Americans, Macedonian-Canadians, and Macedonian-Australians.

"We chose that month specifically, as is the Independence Day-September 8. But also because most of the festivals in the diaspora are held during that month," Koloski added.

He reminded that in 2022 UMD donated over US$ 500,000 in medical equipment for the State University Clinic for Cardiac Surgery in Skopje, and announced that in 2023 they will make a similar donation of medical equipment to the Bitola Clinical Hospital.

"We have to invest as much possible in education, culture and healthcare," adds Koloski.

Gordan Jordanov, director of UMD for Macedonia, announced that the symposium will include topic for youth, women, rural areas, North Macedonia's potentials...

"The UMD Macedonia Symposium will include a few topics where we will try to emphasize the youth, women and how they should be treated, as well as how to make Macedonia a more beautiful country together with all young people. We will mention the rural areas and the potentials the country has to offer with its natural beauty, as well as several other topics on where we stand as a country on a global level, and all the education, investments and retirement in Macedonia," Jordanov notes.

The other part of the symposium, as he announced, will be a book promotion from members of the diaspora, and the ending event will be the Program intended for exchange students "Birthright Macedonia," which in 2023 has 11 students participating from the United States, Canada, Australia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Aleksandar Mitreski, UMD co-founder, addressed the issue of constitutional amendments and said that they do not mind the changes to the Constitution, only under the important condition the same to be done with the Constitution in Bulgaria, by introducing a Macedonian minority.

President Stevo Pendarovski and the former president Gjorgji Ivanov will also be addressing the UMD Macedonia Symposium and Experience. ssh/sk/

Photo: MIA