Mickoski visits Pustec/ Participates in the ceremony in honor of war martyrs

2026-05-10 11:51:00, Aktualitet CNA

The Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristian Mickovki, paid a visit to Tuminec in the municipality of Pustec, where he participated in the memorial ceremony for the fallen heroes during World War II.

In his speech, Mickoski emphasized that the Macedonian people, despite borders and historical pressures, have managed to preserve their language, culture, traditions and national identity over the years.

Full speech:

Today we are not just gathered in front of a monument. Today we are gathered in front of testimony, in front of history that cannot be hidden, because it was written with sacrifice, with courage, and with love for Macedonia.

This monument in Tuminec is dedicated to the Macedonian heroes who participated in the national liberation war against the Bulgarian fascist occupier. People who, in the darkest days of World War II, did not waver, did not hide, and did not give up on their people and their identity.

They did not ask how difficult the war was. They asked only one question: how to preserve honor and freedom. And for this reason today their names stand proud, just as the Macedonian idea has stood proud throughout the centuries.

This place is proof that the Macedonian people, regardless of borders, time, or pressures, have never stopped living with their truth, their language, their song, and their belonging.

Tuminec is not just a village. It is a monument of resistance, of dignity, of roots that cannot be uprooted.

Today, as we discover this monument, we do not look back to remain in the past. On the contrary. We look back to know who we are and where we are going.

A people without memory is a people without a future. While a people that respects its heroes never disappears.

Therefore, this is not just an act of remembrance. This is an act of national dignity.

Macedonians in Albania are an inseparable part of the Macedonian national trunk. And Macedonians in Albania are loyal citizens of Albania.

Your perseverance over the decades is a feat worthy of respect. You preserved the Macedonian name, language, tradition and spirit when it was most difficult.

And for this reason, today I want to send a clear message: the motherland will never forget. Macedonia stands with its people wherever they are, with respect, care, and sincere support.

But today, from this holy place, I want to send another, more important message: the message of unity.

Macedonia needs unity today more than ever. Let us unite around national interests, around the future of our children, around respect for our history and the dignity of our people.

Your ancestors were not divided when they defended freedom. They did not ask who was from or who belonged to whom. They all stood under one name.

We must learn this lesson today as well.

We may have different opinions, different political stances, and different views, but when it comes to the homeland, national interests, and the unity of the Macedonian people, we must be together.

Because only united can we be strong. Only united can we create progress. And only united can we preserve Macedonia as a state with dignity, identity and perspective.

Dear brothers and sisters,

These names engraved on the monument are not just a list of people. These are lives embedded in freedom. These are families who cried, mothers who waited, and warriors who believed that future generations would live proud and free.

Our task today is to continue their fight, but with new means: with education, with unity, with economic development, with preserving national dignity, and with respect for our history and identity.

A state is not built only with roads and buildings. A state is also built with memory, with values, with a people who know who they are.

And for this reason this monument will remain an eternal testament that Macedonia remembers its heroes and that the Macedonian spirit lives on. / CNA