The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD), the leading organization for Macedonians worldwide, is pleased to announce the expansion of its operations into Europe with the appointment of Filip Altiparmakovski as UMD’s The Netherlands Representative, Igor Danajlovski as UMD’s Dusseldorf/Germany Representative, and Goce Peroski as UMD’s Stuttgart/Germany Representative. Altiparmakovski will cover Brussels as well temporarily until UMD appoints a representative directly based out of Brussels.
“Germany and The Netherlands are home to over 130,000 Macedonians combined. The Macedonian communities in these respective countries have played a historical role in preservation of the Macedonian identity and for our centuries-old struggle for Macedonia’s independence,” said UMD Board Chairman Stojan Nikolov following a unanimous vote by the UMD Board of Directors.
“Macedonia’s strategic goal has been to join the European Union (EU), Macedonia deserves its rightful place in Europe, and naturally UMD’s goal is to assist Macedonia on its EU integration path,” said UMD President Metodija A. Koloski. “Appointing these young, enthusiastic, and dedicated Macedonians is the first step towards UMD officially opening a European office in the future; I am certain Filip, Igor, and Goce will serve as excellent representatives for our Macedonian communities before the public and be effective liaisons with Dutch, German, and EU policymakers.”
The new appointments will join already existing UMD European representatives covering Austria, France, Greece, Russia, and the United Kingdom. UMD’s President will lead a delegation of UMD European representatives to Brussels from February 18th-21st for a series of meetings with EU policymakers as well as authorities handling human rights, minority, and international religious freedom issues.
Filip Altiparmakovski was born and raised in Bitola, Macedonia. Filip left Macedonia at the age of 18 to pursue a degree in international relations at Utrecht University in The Netherlands. He also holds a Master’s degree in law (LL.M) from Leiden Law School and a Master’s degree (M.A.) in Conflict Resolution from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom.
Currently based in Amsterdam, Filip is a young lawyer with a multidisciplinary background and a keen interest in Macedonian (and international) affairs. He has previously worked in the international public sector in The Hague and is currently focusing on several side-projects that have always interested him. This includes researching the following topics: the legal aspects of the obstacles to admission of Macedonia to international organizations such as the UN and NATO; the validity of an amnesty for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the 2001 conflict in Macedonia; and the Macedonian minority rights cases against Greece before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
During his time in The Netherlands, Filip set up a Macedonian students association as well as an informal online community for young Macedonian professionals living in The Netherlands. In the summer period, he can be found enjoying hiking on Pelister Mountain and exploring the Prespa and Ohrid lake region.
Igor Danajlovski was born in 1987 in Tetovo, Macedonia, but raised in Dusseldorf, Germany. Following an apprenticeship at Citibank, he is now working as a fully trained banking consultant for more than six years, and currently, in the Cash Management & International Business department for large and multinational corporations at Commerzbank. Danajlovski holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Management and is currently finishing his Master of Business Administration and Economics. He is also a professional music producer owning a recording studio and a registered record label.
Danajlovski first attracted the attention of many with his well-known landscape photographs of multiple places in Macedonia, presenting the beauty of his home country. Nowadays, he is being recognized as a consequent supporter for Macedonian interests and is looking forward to being the UMD Regional Representative for Dusseldorf, Germany, advocating for Germany’s recognition of Macedonia’s constitutional name and Germany’s full support for Macedonia’s EU and NATO membership.
Goce Peroski is German of Macedonian heritage, and serves as the UMD Regional Representative for Stuttgart in the Federal Republic of Germany. Goce holds a B.A. in English and German languages from Eberhard Karls University, and fluently speaks Macedonian. In addition, Goce has written extensively on the topics involving Macedonia’s EU integration, as well as about the factors of influence on the level of school success of children with immigrant backgrounds. Since January 2010, Goce has taught at a secondary school in Stuttgart. In addition to his full time job, Goce has been very active in organizing the Macedonian community in Germany. Of particular note is the German-Macedonian Cultural Forum “Korzo” in Stuttgart, which he co-founded and served as its President from 2006-2009. In his spare time, Goce enjoys swimming, playing tennis and reading literature and history books.