A great jubilee for Macedonian studies and for the Macedonian state – half a century since the opening of the Macedonian Language Department in Paris, France. With this department, 50 years ago, the further strengthened presence of the Macedonian language, literature and culture in the teaching of foreign higher education institutions began.
The department of the prestigious National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO) in Paris is the first lectureship in Macedonian language opened outside the former Yugoslav state. During its 50-year continuous operation and development, this Lectureship is not only a center of Macedonian studies in France and a central point of Macedonian-French academic and cultural ties, but also a key center for the affirmation of the Macedonian language, literature and culture in a part of Europe.