The Macedonian language is a separate Slavic language like Bulgarian, Serbian, and Croatian. The current problems will be somehow solved, but the Macedonian language exists and it will continue to exist, Professor Victor Friedman Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, perhaps the greatest American and global Slavist, said while accepting the 2023 Global Award for Humanism in Ohrid.

Professor Friedman emphasized that the Macedonian language differs from the Serbian and the Bulgarian ones on any linguistic level, from phonology, through morphology, to lexical, syntax…

“There are similarities, however, the Norwegians and the Swedes can also understand each other but no one calls the other’s language a dialect. That is the problem, the Scandinavians are obviously much more progressed than the Bulgarians”, Friedman said.

The professor, who studied, researched, and has spoken the Macedonian language for more than 50 years, added that he never even thought that the Macedonian language will cause such problems as we see today from our neighbors.

A very staunch critic of the Bulgarian policies toward Macedonia regarding the Macedonian language, on one occasion he described the Bulgarian politics as fascist.

“Because during the fascists’ rule, when Bulgaria occupied Macedonia, their officials beat the children who spoke Macedonian. That is fascism. In the times of fascism, the Macedonian language was a Bulgarian dialect, and now they want to reinstate that. To bring back the fascist period”, he explained.

He thinks that Europe should put an end to all that, and Macedonia should stay resolute in its defense of the Macedonian language. Regarding the remarks and the denial of certain historic issues, the professor refused to debate the Medieval period, but he remains firmly in defense of the Macedonian’s more recent history.

“The issue of Tsar Samoil and the Medieval period is too complicated, so that is something that historians will have to solve. But, regarding WW2, you should defend the facts about what the Bulgarians did in your country during that period”, Professor Friedman concluded.