The Macedonian Patriotic Organization in the USA and Canada Held Its 103rd Congress
10 September 2024 News
Consul General Svetoslav Stankov participated in the 103rd Congress of the Macedonian Patriotic Organization in the USA and Canada (MPO), which took place in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The MPO elected Canadian Nick Stefanov, a descendant of Bulgarians from Macedonia and the president of the "Holy Trinity" Church in Toronto, part of the Bulgarian Patriarchate, as its president. For the first time in decades, the MPO elected an emigrant born in Bulgaria as a member of its Central Committee. This is Krasimir Kostov, who is the president of the local MPO club in Chicago – "Pirin." The MPO established a new club in Las Vegas under the name "Ilinden," with Mrs. Svetla Snowden as president.
MPO "Pirin" Club in Chicago organized a presentation and discussion about the life and work of the former VMRO leader Todor Alexandrov, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the death of the great Bulgarian revolutionary in 1924.
MPO adopted resolutions in defense of the fundamental rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia, as well as for the European integration of the country. MPO stated that the Government, political opposition, and public in North Macedonia should unite in support of the amendment of its constitution to recognize Macedonian Bulgarians as a constituent people of the Republic, alongside other groups, thus continuing the negotiations for EU membership.
The governments of Bulgaria and North Macedonia should quickly improve bilateral relations based on mutual respect and continue their strategic dialogue, which began with the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Good Neighborliness on August 2, 2017, and work on implementing the decisions listed in the protocols from the meetings of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission held in 2019 and 2022. The full text of the resolutions will be published in the next issue of the "Macedonian Tribune" newspaper, the MPO's official gazette.