Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,

With sadness in heart and pain in soul, I am standing in this place. Place where, exactly 10 years ago, my great predecessor, President Boris Trajkovski, along with eight of his associates, Dimka, Risto, Anita, Mile, Boris, Ace, Marko and Branko, died.

On that fateful February 26th, we all lost a part of us.

The closest lost a beloved husband, father, son, brother, cousin, friend...
Macedonia lost a great statesman and visionary with European and Euro-Atlantic strategy.
The region lost a peacemaker devoted to dialogue, building trust and mutual understanding and respect.
The world, indeed, lost a man with a big heart who, with his good thought, was connecting people wherever he went. Through him, Macedonia gained new solid friendships everywhere.

Dear Friends,

Boris Trajkovski was a light for Macedonia and the region at a time it wa most needed.

He led the Republic of Macedonia during the hardest turmoil of the country's independence. At a time when we were going through the biggest storm, Trajkovski managed the helm of our country and successfully pulled us out of the turbulent waters.

Aware that peace should always be kept, built and upgraded, once Boris said: "We are all guests in this world. There is time for everything, but now is the time of healing and peace."

Always faithful to his values, he wanted the benefits of peace and stability to be felt in the entire region that was still recovering from the trauma of division, isolation and conflict.

Recalling the great truth that "men and nations behave wisely once they make use of all the alternatives", Boris Trajkovski exerted all his authority of respected statesman and politician, to offer the region a new worldview. Worldview of dialogue as a prerequisite for building trust and unity among people, stated and nations With such conviction, he launched the Forum of the Dialogue among Civilizations, which fruits we harvest even day.

His vision of Macedonia and the region is reflected in one of his last public speeches, when he said that there is no other means except the dialog for finding acceptable solutions. That international law should be respected, that disputes should be resolved peacefully, that existing borders should be respected, that any use of force and interference in the internal affairs of other countries should be avoided. A vision that best depicts the real European and Euro-Atlantic values.

Dear Friends,

Led by faith in God, he believed in the future, in the reason, in Macedonia. The last document Boris Trajkovski inked his signature was on the application for membership of the Republic of Macedonia to the European Union. The very next day he went into eternity.

Today, ten years later, we are still waiting for the fulfillment of the vision of Boris Trajkovski of the European republic of Macedonia. I am confident that his dream and the dream of every Macedonian citizen for Macedonia, as a full-fledged member of the European Union and NATO, will come true.

In these sad moments when we recollect his short life and the lives of the eight associates, when we remember his great work and his covenant that commits us all, we never forget the promise that was his comfort and guide through life:

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."

To Their Eternal Glory!