Boris Trajkovski (1956-2004) was inaugurated as a second president of the
Republic of Macedonia on December 15th
1999, after the country had declared independence in 1991. His predecessor was
Kiro Gligorov. Boris
Trajkovski was born in
Strumica, on August 25th
1956 (his origin is from the Monospitovo village in Strumica region).
He was married to Vilma Trajkovska and is father of two children, a daughter Sara
and a son Stefan.
Boris Trajkovski has completed
high-degree
education at the Faculty of Law, in the University of "Sts. Cyril & Methodius"
in
Skopje, in 1980. He specialized in Commercial and Employment
Law. Being a student he went on several study visits to the USA.
Until 1997, he was the head of the Legal Department of
the construction company "Sloboda" in Skopje. In the period 1997-1998, he was
chief of Cabinet of the Mayor of the municipality of Kisela Voda in Skopje. On
December 21st 1998, he is chosen for Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs in the Government of
Ljubčo Georgievski. The political experience he used
extremely good in the function of vice minister for foreign affairs. His work in
the government consisted in establishing international contacts, with other
governmental structures.
During the Presidential
elections in 1999, he was a candidate of the VMRO-DPMNE political party, lead by
Ljubčo Georgievski. He was member of VMRO-DPMNE since
1992. In the period of 1992 to 1999 by work of the leader of the party, he leads
the commission for foreign politic of VMRO-DPMNE. He had an excellent success in
that work. From the year of 1993, he takes closer the political diplomacy
between VMRO-DPMNE and the political parties in the USA and western Europe, and
establishes contacts with leaders of political parties in Germany, France, Great
Britain, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary and other countries. His work has
improved the international rating of his political party.
He has visited a lot of political
and economical institutes, like: the national democracy institute, the Adam
Smith institute, Westminster foundation of the democracy, Ezbery College and
others. He was a former member of Presidency of the NGO: the Pan-European
Movement for the Republic of Macedonia as well as of Macedonian-Croatian Society
of friendship. Also he was former President of Church Council of the United
Methodist Church.
The President Trajkovski had won a nationwide approval as
deputy foreign minister during the Kosovo crisis in 1999, during the influx of
300,000 ethnic Albanian refugees, from the Serbian province of Kosovo. In 1999,
Trajkovski called on the international community to immediately help Macedonia
to better tackle the refugee crisis and relief this country of such burden.
The President Trajkovski had won praise abroad for cutting a deal with ethnic
Albanians during the 2001 conflict in Macedonia. The peace deal had averted a
civil war from breaking out in Macedonia. He was oriented towards the NATO and
the European Union and was looking forward the Macedonian membership in the
European Union and NATO. "He was a man of vision" - said Sam Vaknin, Ph.D.
The legacy of Trajkovski that is emerging has two aspects: one, as the populist
president who defended Macedonia; and two, as the beacon of human rights and
inter-ethnic understanding who lit the way for Macedonia's entry into the
European Union. These views are respectively those of the Macedonian people and
the international community.
Boris Trajkovski
died in a terrible plane crash on February 26th 2004, going on an
International Investment (Economic) Conference in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina.
The
US-made aircraft carrying Trajkovski and his associates, left the Petrovec airport in Macedonia at 6:48 AM on February 26th
2004. The aircraft that had to take the President Boris Trajkovski to an
international investment conference in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina, flied on a
line through Skopje-Albania-Serbia & Montenegro-Bosnia, when suddenly
disappeared from the radar screens as was approaching the city (Mostar). In 8:01 the aerial
control of SFOR looses the plane from the radar in the Stolac area, 30 km
southern of Mostar. Bosnian officials have said that the plane crashed into Bosnian mountains in thick
fog and confirmed that the executive jet had disappeared from radar screens about 8:01 AM.
The crash was located the next day, on February 27th, on the
point 524 in the are of the Husković village, 15 away from Mostar in
Bosnia & Herzegovina. The Macedonian
delegation was supposed to take part in an investment conference, the same day.
The officials have confirmed that there were no survivors, all the 7 passengers
including the President and the 2 pilots have died:
Boris Trajkovski (the President
of Macedonia),
Marko Markovski (pilot),
Branko Ivanovski (copilot),
Dimka
Ilkova-Boshković (presidential advisor),
Risto Blaževski (presidential advisor),
Anita Krišan-Lozanovska (presidential advisor), Boris Velinov (presidential
bodyguard),
Ace Božinovski (presidential bodyguard) and
Mile Krstevski
(presidential advisor). The death of the President of Macedonia
shocked the European and World-Wide public.
Macedonia's Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski criticized NATO's Stabilization
Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) for making some communication faults
during the investigation of the plane crash that claimed the life of President
Boris Trajkovski on February 26th.
FEBRUARY 26th 2004: It is a tragic and sad day for Macedonia and the
Macedonian people. May we all take this time to pray for the late President
Boris Trajkovski and his family. May God Rest His Soul!
At Thursday's extraordinary session, the Macedonian Government passed a decision
that the flags at state institutions be lowered to half-mast and declared a
three-day mourning, starting from Friday, February 27th.
"The flags lowered to half on the Assembly of Macedonia
and on the municipal building in Strumica, where he was born"
"The Government concluded that the Republic of Macedonia has suffered a huge
loss, but that all institutions function in a normal manner, without
bringing into question the security and stability of the state", Government
Spokesman Sašo Čolakovski stated.
All the streets in the cities throughout Macedonia are filled with flags to
half-mast. The people pay last respect to the President Trajkovski in front of
the Assembly in the center of Skopje and in the local churches. All
sport, cultural and other manifestations were being cancelled, due to the tragic
death of the President Trajkovski.
An early reaction came from Dublin,
where Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern was meeting a visiting Macedonian
government delegation that was presenting an official application to join the
European Union. The prime minister's office said Thursday a presentation
ceremony for the EU application had been canceled because of the "tragic news
that President Boris Trajkovski has died in a plane crash over Bosnia." Ahern
also offered his "deep sympathy" to Macedonian Prime Minister Branko
Crvenkovski.
Bosnian President Dragan Čović told the
Mostar conference that Trajkovski was "irreplaceable," AP reported. "We today
lost a friend ... our thoughts are with the families of the victims," Čović said
as the gathering of about 2,000 participants observed a minute of silence.
In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer praised
Trajkovski, saying he had "demonstrated great leadership to preserve the unity
of his country when it was under threat," AP said.
Reports of the 47-year-old president's death also echoed through the European
Commission in Brussels. And European Commission chief Romano Prodi said "it was a very sad day
for Macedonia that loses a wise and balanced leader. A very sad day for the
Balkan region for whose integration he had spent so much effort. And a very sad
day for Europe that loses a friend and a supporter of the values of tolerance on
which our union is based."
EU's international policy chief Javier Solana called Trajkovski a "man
of passion" and said it was a very tragic day for Macedonia, for all the
people of that country but also for many people in Europe. "President Trajkovski was a great man, a man of passion, a man who moved his
country forward, not only the reforms but also to get it as close as possible to
Europe," Solana said in a statement. "I was his friend. I was with him in very difficult moments. It is going to
be very difficult for the people of Macedonia to fill that gap," he said.
"Javier Solana was the first that came in Macedonia to
express condolences for the death of the president"
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Finnish President Tarja Hallonen
and other European leaders sent their condolences to the Macedonian people and
the government.
The top U.N. official in Kosovo, Harri Holkeri, expressed
his deep shock and sorrow, AP said.
"The news of the death of the president hit me hard," said German Foreign
Minister Joschka Fischer.
Throughout the volatile Balkans, leaders praised Trajkovski for helping to
unite his ethnically divided country following the bloody breakup of the former
Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
Croatian President Stipe Mesić said, Trajkovski's reported death was a "blow to the whole region, not only for
Macedonia". "It was his authority that made it possible for the situation to calm down,
to come back to normal, so that political solutions could be found," AP quoted Mesić
as saying. "Macedonia won't have an easy time, and it won't be easy to find a
replacement for Trajkovski."
The foreign minister of Serbia-Montenegro, Goran Svilanović, said
Trajkovski made a huge contribution to the stability of the entire Balkans.
Bulgarian President Georgi Prvanov
was among the first statesmen to express condolences over the death of his
Macedonian counterpart. "Macedonia has lost its president, and it also lost a
man who was a pure reflection of unity of a state, a man who worked hard till
his last day on stabilization and development of his country, a man fully
committed to bringing his country closer to Europe," Bulgarian president said.
Bulgarian President underscored that Macedonian President has believed that
Balkans nations could live in peace and mutual understanding and help each
other. "Led by such commitment, he set out for Mostar today, and he died on this
road." The former Bulgarian president Petar Stojanov and the former prime
minister Ivan Kostov have already expressed condolences to Trajkovski’s family
and to the people of Macedonia.
George W. Bush: Laura and I are saddened by the death of President Boris
Trajkovski of Macedonia - a distinguished leader and a great friend of the
United States. On behalf of the American people, I extend condolences to
President Trajkovski's family and to the people of Macedonia.
President Trajkovski showed extraordinary courage in leading his country from
the brink of civil conflict to peace by signing the Ohrid Framework
Agreement. The United States strongly supports President Trajkovski's vision of
a multi-ethnic, democratic Macedonia, at peace with itself and its neighbors,
and on the path to full membership in the Trans-Atlantic community.
Zhang Qiyue said the Chinese government was in "great shock" and "deep sorrow" at
the news of the Macedonian president's death, and President Hu had sent a
condolence message to Macedonian Assembly President Ljupčo Jordanovski, who has
assumed the interim presidency. Meanwhile, on Friday noon, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan went to
the Macedonian Embassy in Beijing, observed a one-minute silence in honor of
Trajkovski and wrote his words of condolence. Trajkovski was a close friend of the Chinese people, said Zhang, adding
that when the China-Macedonia ties were at a difficult stage, it was Trajkovski
that firmly abided by the "one-China" policy on the Taiwan issue. When the two
countries relations were normalized, Trajkovski visited China in 2002 to improve
ties. Zhang said the Chinese government and people spoke highly of Trajkovski's
contribution to China-Macedonia relations, and appreciated his support for
China's reunification. She expressed the hope to further develop the
China-Macedonia relations on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual
benefit.
Since the coffin with the
remains of the Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski was brought from Sarajevo
airport with an U.S. Aircraft on March 3rd 2004, it was taken to the
Hall of the Assembly of the Republic. On March 5th
2004, at 11:55 AM, the coffin was put on a vehicle in front of the Assembly,
which passed through the Dimitrija Čupovski street, 11 Oktomvri, Kočo Racin& Krste Petkov-Misirkov boulevard, Cvetan Dimov
street Hristijan Todorovski-Karpoš, Bosna i Hercegovina, Aleksandar Urdarevski
and Boca Ivanova street which ends at the Gradski Grobišta Butel (Butel
City Cemetery), ay the Arbored Walk of the Greats.
The coffin with the remains of the President Boris Trajkovski, was followed by
the National Guard as well as Army Orchestra then his family and relatives,
representatives of the Government and General Headquarters of the Army and
behind them many citizens wishing to pay last respect to the President.
Over 4,000 people took part in the preparations for Boris
Trajkovski's funeral. More than 60 high-state delegations were seen on the
funeral ceremony.
Boris Trajkovski (1956-2004) was inaugurated as a second president of the
Republic of Macedonia on December 15th
1999, after the country had declared independence in 1991. His predecessor was
The President Trajkovski had won a nationwide approval as
deputy foreign minister during the Kosovo crisis in 1999, during the influx of
300,000 ethnic Albanian refugees, from the Serbian province of Kosovo. In 1999,
Trajkovski called on the international community to immediately help Macedonia
to better tackle the refugee crisis and relief this country of such burden.
The
US-made aircraft carrying Trajkovski and his associates, left the Petrovec airport in Macedonia at 6:48 AM on February 26th
2004. The aircraft that had to take the President Boris Trajkovski to an
international investment conference in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina, flied on a
line through Skopje-Albania-Serbia & Montenegro-Bosnia, when suddenly
disappeared from the radar screens as was approaching the city (Mostar). In 8:01 the aerial
control of SFOR looses the plane from the radar in the Stolac area, 30 km
southern of Mostar. Bosnian officials have said that the plane crashed into Bosnian mountains in thick
fog and confirmed that the executive jet had disappeared from radar screens about 8:01 AM.
The crash was located the next day, on February 27th, on the
point 524 in the are of the Husković village, 15 away from Mostar in
Bosnia & Herzegovina. The Macedonian
delegation was supposed to take part in an investment conference, the same day.
The officials have confirmed that there were no survivors, all the 7 passengers
including the President and the 2 pilots have died:
