Minister Poposki Pays Visit to Macedonians Living in Golo Brdo Region in Albania

– November 29, 2012Posted in: Politics

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, Nikola Poposki, in 28.08.2012 has paid a visit to the border region of Golo Brdo in the Republic of Albania, the population of which is of predominantly Macedonian ethnic origin.

As part of his visit, Minister Poposki has had several meetings with various representatives of the local Macedonian population including the activists of the party of the Macedonian national minority in Albania, Macedonian Alliance for European Integration (MAEI), as well as with representatives of the Ilinden and Most non-governmental organizations. On that occasion, Minister Poposki has been informed by his hosts of the latest activities that they have been undertaking with a view to fostering the national, linguistic and cultural identity of the Macedonian population living in the Golo Brdo region.

Furthermore, at the meetings that Minister Poposki has had with a number of Golo Brdo locals, the hosts have been keen to underline the need to build, upgrade and finalize the road network in their region which, as they have pointed out, would be of vital importance to them. In that context, the Golo Brdo Macedonians have requested that Macedonian government officials from all ranks and levels of seniority appeal to their counterparts in the Republic of Albania to invest the utmost of their efforts to ensure that the construction of the section of the road between the Albanian-Macedonian border and the village of Trebište is accelerated, as well as that the aforementioned section is asphalted as soon as possible. In their view, that would inevitably lead to finally opening and putting into operation the Ðepište-Trebište border crossing between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Albania. The representatives of the local Macedonian population have also been quick to inform Minister Poposki about the problems they have been having on a regular basis in addressing their everyday needs,  presenting their expectations for specific assistance and support from the Republic of Macedonia in that respect. In that context, they have spoken about their need for having textbooks and other literature in the Macedonian language being delivered to them on a regular basis, as well as for students from the region being awarded Macedonian scholarships for studying in the Macedonian universities and allowing high-school students from Golo Brdo to finish their secondary education in some of the nearby border towns in the Republic of Macedonia such as Debar and Struga.

At the meeting that Minister Poposki has had with the Mayor and the President of the Municipal Council of Trebište, the hosts have pointed to the need for the municipalities located within the Golo Brdo region receiving assistance in applying for and utilizing European Union funds allocated for the purpose of developing cross-border cooperation with the Macedonian municipalities on the other side of the border in all areas of mutual interest such as the economic growth and development of the local area, cultural exchange, environment protection, etc.

Minister Poposki has rounded up his visit to the region of Golo Brdo by meeting the primary school pupils from the village of Trebište who have been attending extracurricular courses in the Macedonian language. On that occasion, both Minister Poposki and the attending local officials have underlined the need for introducing the Macedonian language into the regular curriculum of the primary schools functioning throughout the entire region, particularly when taking into consideration that the Albanian authorities have thus far allowed the Macedonian children in the region to study the Macedonian language only by attending extracurricular courses organized by non-governmental organizations.

In addition to that, Minister Poposki has also had a meeting with the children who participated in the recently launched Macedonian Language Summer Camp for children belonging to the Macedonian national minorities in the neighbouring countries. As a reminder, the Summer Camp was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia and was held for the first time in Ohrid from 12 to 19 August this year. (Makedonium)