Athens, 14 December 2024 (MIA) - Macedonian and Greek professors will discuss the perspectives of cultural cooperation at the academic level, focusing on the Macedonian language, at an event being held Saturday in Thessaloniki. Participants, including Professor Alexandra Ioannidou and Professor Vladimir Martinovski, emphasized the significance of the conference in a conversation with the MIA’s Athens correspondent.

This is a scientific conference, the first of its kind at the academic level, hosted by Greece. It will take place in the amphitheatre of the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki and is organized by the Culture, Borders, Gender Laboratory at the Department for Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies of the Thessaloniki University, in collaboration with the Blazhe Koneski Faculty of Philology at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.

The Dean of the Faculty of Philology, Professor Vladimir Martinovski, told MIA that the mutual introduction of academic communities and students through such collaborations will undoubtedly contribute to the advancement of good-neighborly relations.

“The scientific conference at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki is an excellent opportunity to stimulate, strengthen, and develop academic cooperation in the field of philological sciences and the humanities. Mutual acquaintance through the study of languages, literatures, and cultures, encouraging mobility among students and faculty, and long-term investment in the education and training of literary translators will undoubtedly contribute to the development of good-neighbourly relations,” Professor Martinovski said.

Professor Alexandra Ioannidou told MIA that the event "aims to strengthen the long-planned cooperation between the University in Skopje and the University of Macedonia."

“The official recognition of the Macedonian language through the Prespa Agreement was supposed to be implemented in the academic environment as well, to finally begin a fruitful exchange of ideas, culture, knowledge, and collaborations at the academic level. I consider this event very important, as it signals not only the desire and willingness to improve relations between our two nations, but also a transformation of theory into practice,” Professor Ioannidou told MIA.

According to the official program of the scientific conference, in addition to Professors Ioannidou and Martinovski, the event will also feature Professors Rumena Buzharovska, Vesna Mojosova-Chepishevska, and Eleni Sideri, Professor Ioannis Manos, Assistant Lecturer Elena Gjorgjiovska, Dr. Kica Kolbe, Dr. Evangelos Kyriakou, Maria Doumpa, and Fotis Sionis.

The event has been announced with a special poster featuring one of the artworks of the Macedonian painter Lazar Lichenoski.

Professors Alexandra Ioannidou and Rumena Buzharovska already have a collaboration, as two books by the Macedonian author have been translated from Macedonian to Greek, by Professor Ioannidou.

Sanja Ristovska

Photo: University of Macedonia - Thessaloniki