Skopje, 21 March 2023 (MIA) – Different languages and cultures are a part of the joint treasure and heritage of the world, and it is our moral responsibility to nurture and develop cooperation based on these two fields. Seeing the enthusiasm in your eyes, I am convinced that you understand the power of language and cultural cooperation and communication, and this event today places another pebble on the bridge of connection between peoples and cultures. Our commitment shows that we as a country are ready to be part of the great European family of peoples and cultures, said Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi in his address to the participants of the workshop of the Youth Francophone Parliament – educational activity titled “I have an Opinion!” held on Tuesday in Parliament under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French Institute in Skopje. Xhaferi reiterated that this event started in 2019 in Parliament, with over 2200 participants involved.

"We are used to listening to, respecting and learning many languages, and as the oldest language of democracy, French has a spot in our field of interest. It is no coincidence that we are using this event to join the myriad of events used to honor Francophonie Month. It’s our contribution to the affirmation of the significance of the French language in the spread of the ideas of freedom, fraternity and equality among the people," Xhaferi said.

French Ambassador Cyril Baumgartner said that the series of activities in March show that Francophonie is a living reality realized in the entire country, because over a third of students in public education study French.

"Francophonie is a language, as well as an international organization, of which North Macedonia has been a member for 20 years. Francophonie also stands for values, human rights, democracy, peace, joint values that we are responsible for, that we need to protect and promote. It’s these values that North Macedonia defends in regards to the military aggression against Ukraine, as OSCE chair, and the fact that it hosted the Serbia-Kosovo summit in Ohrid under the auspices of the EU, where significant progress for the stabilization of the Western Balkans was made. Ultimately, Francophonie means hope for a better tomorrow,” said Ambassador Baumgartner.

Students from Francophonic schools from multiple cities in the country will debate during this educational activity on topics such as improving media literacy and recognizing fake news on social media, as well as the excessive use of the internet and social media. dk/nn/