Sorrow at death of Trajkovski
Greece expressed deep sorrow at yesterday’s death, in a plane crash, of the president of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Boris Trajkovski. Foreign Minister Tassos Yiannitsis said the demise of Trajkovski, 47, «is a truly significant loss for his country and for the Balkans, for it happened at a time when FYROM’s political forces are making a great effort to restore normality to the country’s politics, to achieve national reconciliation, to establish stability and security and to strengthen the country’s links with European institutions.» «I wish to reaffirm the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Greece and FYROM,» Yiannitsis added. Trajkovski’s small plane disappeared in a mountainous area of Bosnia. There were conflicting reports yesterday as to whether its wreckage had been found. PASOK chairman George Papandreou praised Trajkovski as «a pillar of FYROM’s stability.» Opposition leader Costas Karamanlis and Synaspismos Left Coalition leader Nikos Constantopoulos also expressed their regrets.