North Macedonia today marks the 33rd anniversary of its independence from the former Yugoslav Federation, through a popular referendum, by which it was declared an independent and sovereign state.

The referendum was boycotted by the Albanians in Macedonia, who demanded the status of autonomy and were not satisfied with the position reached in the new Constitution of this country.

According to state estimates at that time, over 95 percent of citizens who participated in the referendum on September 8, 1991, answered positively to the referendum question "Are you for an independent Macedonia with the right to enter into force in the future alliance of states?" sovereign of Yugoslavia".

The referendum was preceded by the Declaration of Independence, which the first Parliament of multiparty Macedonia approved on January 25, 1991. Formally, the will of the people for an independent state was established by the Declaration on the acceptance of the results of the referendum on September 18, 1991 in the Assembly of Republic of Macedonia.

The next important step in strengthening the state was the adoption of the new Constitution on November 17, 1991. The boycott of the referendum by a part of the Albanian ethnic community and the non-support of The new constitution by the Albanian deputies. Ten years later the Constitution was completed after the 2001 conflict and the signing of the Ohrid Agreement.

Macedonian citizenship was first recognized by the Republic of Bulgaria, followed by recognitions from Turkey, Slovenia, Croatia, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina…

The state became monetarily independent with the introduction of the denar on April 26, 1992, and then gained its own Army, which celebrates its birthday on August 18.

The international-legal subjectivity of the state was definitely confirmed on April 8, 1993, when by acclamation in the General Assembly of the United Nations, Macedonia was accepted as the 181st member of the United Nations Organization. However, due to the objections and pressures of Greece, due to the name, the membership in the UN was made under the temporary reference of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The agreement to resolve the dispute with Greece was reached on June 17, 2018, according to which the country was named as North Macedonia.

North Macedonia has established diplomatic relations with 170 countries in the world, while its constitutional name has been accepted by 135 countries, including the three members of the Security Council - China, the Russian Federation and the USA.

During the past years of independence, North Macedonia went through a series of problems and difficulties, until on March 27, 2020, it became the 30th member of NATO.