The shared values and the bonds of love and respect between our peoples give a special character to Turkey-North Macedonia relations. Along with the relations we establish at the civil society level with North Macedonia, the mutual visits we conduct are a strong indicator of our friendship and closeness.

Although its own alphabet is Cyrillic, the use of the Latin alphabet by Turks and Albanians living there is an exceptional indication of the peaceful character of this country.

In this country, Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Christians, and Jews live together within the cultural diversity created by the multicultural structure. North Macedonia has made a great sacrifice for comprehensive cooperation and peace in the Balkans and has been able to name itself the Republic of North Macedonia, which is an important understanding and tolerance. The world must take this exceptional decision into account and remove the obstacles before the Macedonian nation in the European Union. Therefore, we believe that it is now inevitable for North Macedonia to take its rightful place in the world. The Marmara Group Foundation attaches great importance to relations with North Macedonia.

However, the importance we give is not only due to historical or emotional reasons. North Macedonia is like the heart of the Balkans. The stability and unity of this country, which has great strategic importance, is important for Europe. Today, the most important issue for humanity is living in peace. The people living peacefully under one flag in North Macedonia, a community with many religions, languages, cultures, and identities, are the descendants of a nation that has achieved a great success. The foundation of this success is democracy. The democracy of North Macedonia, which protects human dignity and holds equality and freedom together, is a good example for many countries. Our relations, which began after independence, have shown an upward trend from past to present. As the Marmara Group Foundation, we believe that the friendship between Turkey and North Macedonia is eternal. Our peoples give the greatest support to this friendship. And we, in our capacity as a civil society organization, are proud to continue cooperation with the Macedonian people for peace, stability, good days, and a common future.

The cultural line that Macedonia has established, stretching from Alexander the Great to Kemal Atatürk, is a civilization line where the Cyrillic alphabet is still alive today, from Serbia to Russia, and from Russia to Tajikistan.

North Macedonia is one of the countries that gives extraordinary value to the Marmara Group Foundation. Perhaps it is the first.

The first Foreign Minister to attend the Eurasia Economic Summits was from North Macedonia. North Macedonia has been represented at the Eurasia Economic Summits for years at the presidential level. Two distinguished sons of North Macedonia, President Gjorge Ivanov and diplomat Zerrin Abaz, are recipients of the Marmara Group Foundation Honor Medal.

Also, the State of North Macedonia awarded Dr. Akkan Suver the Superior Service Medal in 2019 through the President.

Therefore, the Marmara Group Foundation is grateful for the high generosity of the State of North Macedonia.