SKOPJE, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Friday urged for increased public awareness of the needs of the Roma community, during an event marking International Romani Day.
In his remarks, Zaev said in Macedonia the Roma community has been equal to all other communities since constitution changes made in 2001.
Macedonia has made improvements in most relevant issues regarding the Roma community such as housing, possession of identification documents, underage marriages, access to employment and health insurance, as well as in inclusion of the community in culture and education, he added.
"Another important thing is the political participation of Roma in decisions related to the enhancement of their position in the country, and Macedonia is a regional example in this regard," highlighted Zaev.
The Macedonian prime minister mentioned the example of Suto Orizari, the second smallest municipality in the capital city Skopje, as the only municipality in the world with a majority of Roma citizens and where Romani language is official alongside with Macedonian language.
Suto Orizari has 17,357 inhabitants with a Romani majority and in 2002 they represented almost 80 percent of the population
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