Skopje, 28 February 2024 (MIA) – The new President of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MANU), Zhivko Popov, gave an address Wednesday presenting his presidency in the 2024-2027 period. In his address he touched upon several “social anomalies” and “crucial challenges to which greater attention should be paid”, and which, he said, are subject to criticism in the annual reports of the European Commission.

“The situation in the country in which the society is split on several bases is complicated, which is why it is necessary, above all, to have national unity over the most important issues… It will be necessary to focus the Academy on the state and increase the number of national projects in the coming period,” said Popov.

According to the Academy’s new President, MANU “has the institutional capacity to help the country tackle these serious social phenomena through strategies founded on science”.

He stressed that politics and political parties have no place in the Academy, but that it “mustn’t remain silent if it has the knowledge, opportunities and capacity to advise and provide strategic directions”.

“The political independent position of MANU should always be present and highlighted. But, this requires the Academy to be louder, to issue more press releases, to share more information with the public over its work,” said MANU’s President.

Popov said he would like to promote “the European idea for Macedonia which is as old as the Macedonian nation”. He said the Macedonian people are aware that they are European and that their place is within the European community of nations, noting that the Euroscepticism which has emerged is “a result of the obstacles that the EU has unjustly raised on our European path”.

“Only through equal dialogue and cooperation with the neighbors and the EU can we reach rational solutions for the created issues, while also safeguarding in the process the cultural and historical heritage that belongs to the Macedonian people, as a European value,” said the President of MANU.

Photo: MIA