Strumica, 26 February 2026 (MIA) — Former Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski's family members, friends, local officials and citizens attended a flower-laying ceremony at the Macedonia memorial built in his honor to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of his death, MIA's Strumica correspondent reports. 

Strumica Mayor Petar Jankov spoke about President Trajkovski's life and legacy.

"Boris Trajkovski was a man of deep Christian faith, with pronounced personal modesty and humanity. Despite the high office he held, he remained close to the people, accessible and honest," the mayor said. 

"We, the people of Strumica, know this best. He represented the country with a clear vision of Euro-Atlantic integration, striving for membership in the EU and NATO, and with a message that Macedonia belongs to the family of democratic and peace-loving nations," he said.

The event included local children reciting poetry and VMRO-DPMNE's Union of Women representatives planting a tree in the park near the memorial. 

Boris Trajkovski (1956-2004) served as the nation's second president from 1999 until his death in 2004. He was born in Monospitovo, near Strumica, and he died at age 47 in a plane crash near Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, while traveling to an international conference. mr/