Skopje, 26 January 2025 (MIA) - The American Corner is an opportunity, primarily for young people, to connect with American culture and values, to learn the English language, understand the importance of volunteering, media literacy, and even security, President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova said Saturday in her address on the 20th anniversary of the opening of the first American Corner in Skopje.

US Ambassador Angela Aggeler opened the event, emphasizing the vital role of the American Corner in fostering civil society and promoting democratic values in the country.

In her address, President Siljanovska Davkova stated that the American Corner is one of the symbols or centers of Macedonian-American friendship and partnership, a significant indicator of mutual understanding and respect. She emphasized the collaboration's focus on young leaders across all fields as future drivers of societal relations and change.

She emphasized that the first American Corner opened 20 years ago in Skopje, noting that “this small, yet important, point grew and spread like a cultural influence, reaching other cities across the country and proving the worth of such an initiative from the US Embassy.”

“I will quote a line from the great Walt Whitman, whose poetic greatness is internationally recognized: 'The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem,' he says. The poet highlights that both poetry and democracy draw their strength from the ability to form a unified whole from diverse parts. These different parts, cultures, and traditions can meet here in the American Corner, where young people exchange opinions, ideas, learn about others, and explore the core of multiculturalism and globalization. We are thankful that through this center, we can experience the complexity of a great culture like that of America,” Siljanovska Davkova said.

Our country, she added, recognizes this importance and, therefore, from the very beginning, actively participated in supporting this significant project.

“It’s no coincidence that it has been successfully operating for 20 years and still has the potential to live on and develop further. I would say the mission is successful, but not complete, because when we reflect on everything that has occurred in those small spaces where the broad and noble idea of sharing values was promoted, our attention is now on the future. Those who come here have much to hear, but they also have much to offer. That interaction is the driving force, and I’m certain that new ideas will emerge from it and become part of the foundation of the American Corner,” she said.

She noted that a nation is not great just because it is large, rich, or powerful, but by how much it has succeeded in freeing its people and allowing their creativity to be integrated into society.

“We strive toward this, and this strength, which was highlighted in a speech by President Lyndon Johnson, I also recognize in the activities of the American Corner. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that if we were to identify symbols or centers of Macedonian-American friendship and partnership, the American Corner is certainly one of them, an important indicator of mutual understanding and respect, and the need for cooperation, with a focus on young leaders in all fields as future drivers of social relations and change. I congratulate you on the anniversary and wish you continued success. May the successful story continue to develop!,” Siljanovska Davkova said.

Photo: President’s Office