Macedonia commemorates the 20th anniversary of President Boris Trajkovski’s death, who tragically perished in a plane crash near Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Butel cemetery in Skopje will host this year’s memorial event, beginning at 12:00.

Attendees will include Vilma Trajkovska, the late President’s spouse, along with family members. President Stevo Pendarovski, a parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Jovan Mitreski, and a government delegation comprising Slavica Grkovska, Deputy Prime Minister for good governance policies, and Risto Penov, Minister of Local Self-Government, will also be present. Representatives from the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Union of Fighters of the National Liberation War, led by Naum Bureski, Vice President of the Main Board, will lay flowers, as announced by the government.

In Rotimlje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the plane crash occurred, representatives from the Macedonian government, including Minister of Culture Bisera Kostadinovska Stojchevska and Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Kaja Shukova, will lay flowers at the memorial site. Colonel Biljana Blazheska, adjutant to the President, will also be present.

High representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina will join the commemoration in Rotimlje. In Strumica, a government delegation led by Jovanka Trenchevska, Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Policy, will lay flowers at the monument of President Boris Trajkovski.

Under the Government’s patronage, a commemorative concert will be held in the evening at the National Opera and Ballet to honor the 20th anniversary. The concert, conducted by Ivan Eminovikj and directed by Ljupka Jakimovska, will feature soloists Sandra Mitrovska, Marika Popovikj, and Javorka Vitanova, accompanied by the choir and orchestra. The program includes works by W.A. Mozart, R. Leoncavallo, G. Verdi, and R. Avramovski.

President Trajkovski lost his life in the plane crash on February 26, 2004, attempting to land at the Mostar airport in adverse weather conditions. The crash claimed the lives of Trajkovski, his advisers, Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative, bodyguards, and pilots.