On Friday, October 11, 2019, UMD hosted a roundtable discussion with Dijana Despodov, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Macedonia (AmCham Macedonia). Despodov worked as an external relations professional for over 15 years, working in a variety of different areas like advocacy, public relations, research and analysis, and international development. Despodov moved back to Macedonia after 12…
Yesterday, October 22, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted to ratify Macedonia’s NATO accession protocol. On the Senate floor, the vote on the accession of Macedonia to NATO passed overwhelmingly with 91 “Yeas,” 2 “Nays,” and 7 Senators not voting. The vote took place only two weeks after the visit of Secretary Michael R. Pompeo to Ohrid, Macedonia – the first…
A potentially damaging blow to the law on languages came from an unlikely source. In a recent leak, the Venice Commission, the constitutional law advisory body of the Council of Europe, outlined major issues with the law on languages. According to the Venice Commission, the law goes too far in “promoting multiethnic and multilingual interconnectedness of the judicial system.” The…
Earlier this week, UMD sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo with key recommendations regarding U.S. foreign policy interests towards Greece and Macedonia in light of his official visit to both countries on October 5-6, 2019. UMD noted the fact that Secretary Pompeo will be the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Macedonia in nearly two…
By Metodija A. Koloski, UMD President In an impressive display of their Europeanness, Bulgarian officials are borrowing straight from the Greek playbook for extracting concessions from Macedonia. As we near the decision by the European Union regarding Macedonian accession, Bulgaria is aggressively stepping up its demands for changing history. By threatening to veto, Bulgaria hopes to force Macedonian politicians into…
Автор: Методија А. Колоски, претседател на Обединетата Македонска Дијаспора (ОМД) Како тестамент на своите длабоко врежани европски вредности, Бугарските власти почнаа да позајмуваат Грчки тактики за изнудување отспапки од Македонија. Бидејќи одлуката за приспатување на Македонија кон Еворпската Унија (ЕУ) е се поблиску, Бугарија, потпирајќи се врз своите вето привилегии, агресивно ги засилува своите барања за промена на историјата. Колку…
Со длабоко измешани чувства на радост и болка, убавина и чемер, сонце и темнина, го одбележуваме овој ден, кој е длабоко врежан во нас кои искрено и патриотски си ја сакаме и почитуваме државата, матичната татковина Република Македонија, татковина и држава на сите Македонци и останати сограѓани кои искрено си ја сакаат како сопствена и своја, каде и да се…
UMD looks back with pride and gratitude on the successes of 2017’s Ajvar 5K, and the meaningful difference the diaspora community has made together. Over 600 participants took part in UMD’s flagship charitable event, Ajvar 5K with races held in Crown Point, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Columbus, Ohio; Garfield, New Jersey; Los Angeles, and San Francisco, California; and Washington,…
The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) honors the 116th Anniversary of the Ilinden Uprising when Macedonians rebelled against the Ottoman Empire on August 2, 1903 to regain their freedom, founding the first-ever democratic republic in the Balkans in Krusevo. For 10 days and nights, Macedonians experienced the freedom that they had risked their lives to achieve. The short-lived Krusevo Republic fell…
The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD), a proponent of Macedonia’s NATO membership under its 1991 constitutional name – the Republic of Macedonia – reiterates its position that Macedonia’s accession to NATO is long overdue and should have occurred more than ten years ago when NATO was slated to invite Macedonia at the 2008 Bucharest Summit. Today’s NATO protocol signing by 29…