OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities welcomes launch of online service by public broadcaster in Skopje

The HAGUE, 20 April 2006 - Rolf Ekeus, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) welcomed the launching today in Skopje of the Public Broadcaster's (MRT) new multilingual Internet portal which provides news and information in seven local and three foreign languages.

This is an example of how the new media, such as the Internet, can be used to effectively and inexpensively serve multi-ethnic communities," said Ambassador Ekeus. "It is a creative and modern way to implement the Guidelines on the use of Minority Languages in the Broadcast Media, developed under HCNM auspices."

"Although based in Skopje, the new online service will not only help various communities native to the region, but also those living in other parts of the world," he added.

MRT's new online service provides content in Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish, Serbian, Bosnian, Vlah, and Romane languages, as well as Greek, Bulgarian and English for neighbouring and international audiences. The development of the service was supported by the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje.