Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear friends,

Two things deeply touch the human heart: the beauty and the suffering. But, in this world overwhelmed with so much suffering, there is nothing more beautiful and more encouraging than to see how people selflessly help those who suffer, the sick and frail, wounded and vulnerable, the poor and homeless...

Today we are here to express our gratitude to the Red Cross of the Republic of Macedonia for serving people in need for already 70 years, both in Macedonia and abroad.

70 years before the founding of the Red Cross of Macedonia, a man was born who perhaps best depicts the mission of this noble global organization: "Red Cross is a light that shows the right way through the darkness. It is our duty to make sure that light never to go out", said the great humanist and Nobel Prize winner Albert Schweitzer.

It is especially important today, when we live in a time of challenges - both human and natural. In a time of military conflict and climate change. A time of exiled and banished, immigrants and refugees who, as we speak, experience the sense of loss of their home, their own history and homeland.

If you have ever done mistakes due to ignorance, today, when news of the people's need reach us with the speed of the Internet, the failures are usually done because of the refusal to know. In that sense, ignorance is the elegant name for indifference towards the unprotected. And as the world increasingly becomes guilty of the sin of indifference, the sense of responsibility is declining, and the selfish excuses for passive surveillance are increasing.

It is in this darkness that the Red Cross gives us a ray of light. This organization, which is available everywhere and to everyone, is expressed through the basic principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntarism, unity and universality.

Thanks to that light, the Republic of Macedonia came reborn out of the ruins of World War II and the elements of nature.

Thanks to the humanity, the Red Cross helps us avoid the traps of exclusion and xenophobia, to preserve and promote the benefits of coexistence, respect and acceptance of diversity.

Generations of volunteers of the Red Cross of Macedonia for already seven decades are an example of how to treat the greatest value of all – the human life.

The Red Cross is always ready to help reactively and to cooperate with other social and institutional actors that should be prepared to act preemptively.

Passing the test of humanity and sacrifice, the Red Cross of the Republic of Macedonia gained the trust of the Macedonian citizens and became their extended hand of solidarity.

Dear Friends,

There is no exaggeration to say that with every human gesture, with every drop of blood donated, with every meal shared, with every human life saved, the Red Cross makes the Republic of Macedonia a better and more dignified place to live in.

Therefore, it is my honor, as President of the Republic of Macedonia, on behalf of all Macedonian citizens, with the Charter of the Republic of Macedonia to thank the Red Cross because, with everything it does, it restores our hope in humanity.

Thank you.