(No. 2 - January 3, 2012 - 2 p.m. ET) Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement to pay tribute to Kiro Gligorov, the first democratically elected president of the Republic of Macedonia, who died on January 1, 2012, in Skopje at the age of 94:
“On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my deepest condolences to Mr. Gligorov’s family, as well as to the people of the Republic of Macedonia. Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.
“Mr. Gligorov will be remembered for leading Macedonia through a peaceful transition to independence in 1990-1991. His lasting legacy will be his commitment to the vision of a democratic Macedonia. This vision distinguished Mr. Gligorov as a true statesman, one who will be sorely missed.”
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