Committee Chairperson Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski stated that, according to the census data in North Macedonia published in 2021, 1.3% of the population declared themselves as Serbs and 0.6% declared that they spoke Serbian as their mother tongue. Stamenkovski pointed out that the fact that half of those who declared themselves Serbs, did not declare that they spoke the Serbian language deserves attention.

In absolute numbers, compared to the previous census, the number of Serbs in North Macedonia has decreased by more than 12,000, from 35,939 to 23,847, Djurdjevic Stamenkovski stressed, adding that an even more dramatic decline was recorded in the use of the Serbian language.

The Committee Chairperson pointed out that Serbia should provide support to our people’s efforts to preserve their national identity in North Macedonia, stating that the efforts to motivate young people to continue with all the previous activities in preserving the Serbian national identity in North Macedonia are commendable.

Minister without portfolio, in charge of proposing measures and participating in the coordination of activities in the field of relations between the Republic of Serbia and the diaspora, Djordje Milicevic, pointed out that the relations between Serbia and North Macedonia are at their historical maximum and that the Serbs in North Macedonia are a bridge between our two countries. He stated that the "Open Balkans" regional initiative, as a platform for the development of regional relations, further strengthens our ties and relations with compatriots in North Macedonia.

Milicevic then spoke of the projects implemented together with the Ministry of Education, with the aim of nurturing and preserving the Serbian language in Macedonia.

Nikolina Milatovic Popovic, acting assistant director of the Office for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, spoke of the cooperation programme in the field of education between Serbia and North Macedonia, based on a signed bilateral agreement. She said that there are three primary schools in North Macedonia that hold classes in Serbian and that there is a programme for optional Serbian language classes. However, the biggest problem is the fact that it is impossible to achieve continuity in education in the Serbian language, the lack of teaching materials, as well as the lack of scholarships for our pupils and students, said Milatovic Popovic, adding that in Skopje, where the majority of Serbs are, there is no opportunity to attend classes in Serbian.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairperson Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Milimir Vujadinovic, Sanja Lakic, Dr Ugljesa Mrdic, Rodoljub Stanimirovic, Aleksandar Cotric, Radovan Tvrdisic, Nikola Bokan, Radovan Arezina, Jelena Milosevic, MA Ivan Kostic, Ilo Mihajlovski and Jasmina Karanac.