Skopje, 25 March 2025 (MIA) - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski said Tuesday the process of "repatriating" the patients who were injured in the Kochani nightclub fire and are receiving treatment abroad will depend on their medical condition and will be determined based on defined medical protocols.

Mucunski told a TV Sitel interview that by the end of this week several patients who are being treated in Austria and Belgium will return, but he stressed, the process will proceed in line with medical protocols and “without even the slightest risk” for their health.

The Foreign Minister thanked all countries who helped by providing medical and logistical support.

“Many countries helped us by treating our patients in their hospitals. But there were also countries like Israel that helped us by sending specialists here. I would also highlight countries like Romania, Luxembourg and Norway who sent us specialized aircraft. There are countries where patients aren’t being treated, but we are sincerely grateful to them because they helped us ensure a safe and efficient way to send over one hundred patients to foreign medical centers safely,” Mucunski said.

Mucunski said today’s return of the first of the 115 patients who are being treated abroad as “a bright point after the indescribable tragedy” as well as the discharging of 19-year-old Jovan who helped save 21 people from the fire.

According to the Foreign Minister, the next big challenge is to return life in Kochani back to normal.

“We need to think what more we can do for them, for their families, but also for Kochani so that the town can once again live through good days, with respect for those who have died,” the Minister said.

Photo: MIA Archive