Ljubljana, 17 May 2026 (MIA) — President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova visited earlier Sunday the St. Clement of Ohrid Macedonian Orthodox Church at the beginning of her official visit to Slovenia, meeting with local church leaders and Macedonian cultural groups.

The president attended Sunday service and spoke to the congregation afterward.

"Wherever we are in the world, we have a common home, a common church community where we can gather," Siljanovska Davkova said.

She added that faith and the church remain important to the identity and historical endurance of the Macedonian people.

She later met with diaspora members and discussed ways they maintain ties to the homeland and keeping Macedonian culture alive.

She praised them for passing down Macedonian heritage to younger generations through festivals, art events, folklore ensembles and various cultural projects. 

The president will be welcomed Monday by her Slovenian cpunterpart Nataša Pirc Musar with full state and military honors.

The two leaders will have a tête-à-tête, followed by a meeting of the Macedonian and Slovenian delegations.

Siljanovska Davkova will also meet with Slovenia's Parliament Speaker Zoran Stevanović.

During her trip, the Macedonian president will lay a wreath at the Monument to the Victims of All Wars.

On Tuesday, the president will give a lecture at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Law on the constitutional changes required for the country's EU membership. mr/