Skopje, 19 July 2022 (MIA) – On this historic day for North Macedonia, when the first Intergovernmental Conference with the EU was held, opening the process for the country's admission to the European family, a new chapter for the Macedonian language has begun, Minister of Culture Bisera Kostadinovska-Stojchevska said in Brussels. "The language spoken on the stages of Macedonian theaters, sung in at concert venues, the language Macedonian fiction and poetry is written in, from now on will not only be protected but also promoted anew, because the Macedonian word will still resonate in many new cultures where so far it has touched very little," the culture minister said. According to a Ministry of Culture press release, Kostadinovska-Stojchevska said that with the beginning of the negotiations, the Macedonian language is specified without any additional explanations, and this has opened the door for the Macedonian language to become one of the official languages of the European Union. "The satisfaction we feel today is enormous, when after 17 years of making difficult, important, patriotic decisions, the Republic of North Macedonia and all its citizens, regardless of their ethnic, religious or any other affiliation, are on the right side. "North Macedonia naturally, civilizationally, and according to its values, belongs to the European family. We belong in the EU and we’ve proven ourselves as a trustworthy partner to the EU," she said. dk/mr/