Valdai Club

As we approach a major anniversary, 80 years since the defeat of fascism, a strange silence hangs over my country, Macedonia, and the broader region we now call the “territory of former Yugoslavia.” National authorities have been under sustained external (Western) pressure for years: May 9 must no longer be associated with the victory over fascism. Year after year, in both public memory and the education system, May 9 has been rebranded as Europe Day.

NATO’s relentless expansion must stop. On its path of self-destruction, it risks dragging the rest of us down with it. The time has come to embrace a new global order — one built on cooperation, equality, and peace.