Skopje, 18 November 2022 (MIA) - Margarita “Caca” Nikolovska, the first Macedonian judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, on Friday was awarded the Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest decoration of the French Republic. French Ambassador Cyril Baumgartner, at the ceremony in the presence of relatives, friends and colleagues, presented the work of the judge and emphasized that her activity is essential and necessary. "After an outstanding career in the highest courts in your country, you were elected as the first female Macedonian judge in the European Court of Human Rights. But your sense in the service of justice did not leave you limited only to this career as a judge, because you are also an activist and the founder of the Human Rights Institute. It seems that this was not enough for you because you also dedicated yourself to the transfer of your legal knowledge, through organizing training and publishing scientific articles," the Ambassador said. Judge Margarita Caca Nikolovska expressed gratitude for the recognition and emphasized that the awarding of this order for her is a huge honor and confirmation of the entire work in her working life. "For me, this order is a huge honor and a confirmation of the entire work in my entire working life, which is far from over. I will continue to work as long as physical, mental, moral, ethical and other elements are present, and I will contribute to the protection of human rights, their promotion. However, the most important thing is what we will have in practice, and I hope that the presence of the opinion that without human rights, which are the pillars of democracy, we cannot move forward, will be increasing," she said. According to Minister of Justice Nikola Tupancheski, this recognition has a hugely relevant character. - We are talking about a recognition that has a relevant and huge character, not only for the recipient of the recognition, but also for our country, I say, because it comes at the right time, at a time when our ambitions and plans are increasing in terms of approximation to the European Union, and this is another confirmation that in our country there are people who are moving along the right trajectory, in terms of the protection of human freedoms and rights and in terms of what is called professionalism in the true sense of the word. That's exactly what our esteemed colleague Caca is," said the minister. The Order of Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honor is the highest decoration of the French Republic and is awarded by the President of the French Republic. Margarita Nikolovska was appointed as a judge in the District Court in Skopje in 1978, and since 1987 she has been a judge in the Regional Court in Skopje (later renamed the Court of Appeal). From 1997 to 1998, she was a judge in the Supreme Court of the Republic of Macedonia. In 1998, she was elected as the first Macedonian judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, and held that position until 2008. In 2011, she was elected as a judge in the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in 2015, she was appointed as the vice-president of the court. She is a member of the founding board of the Macedonian Association of Judges and president of its international relations committee. In the period from 1995 to 2006, she was the representative of the Macedonian Association of Judges in the European Association of Judges and the International Association of Judges. dk/ba/