EU message of support to Macedonia

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana will jet to Macedonia this morning with a message of support after the sudden death of President Boris Trajkovski.

Tributes have continued to flood in from European leaders since the president’s plane crashed yesterday into the Bosnian mountains in thick fog and adverse weather conditions.

Solana’s spokesman Cristina Gallach said he would be meeting with Macedonia’s government to stress the EU’s commitment to helping the country along the road towards EU membership.

Macedonia was due to hand over its application for EU membership on Thursday but the Dublin ceremony was cancelled following news of the crash.

Gallach said the membership bid was expected to be resubmitted soon. “It is more a question of weeks than of many months,” she said.

Trajkovski has been widely praised by European leaders for his commitment to brokering peace in the troubled Balkans region and pushing his country towards EU membership.

“We all owe very much to Boris Trajkovski and my sincere hope is that his vision will be a legacy for all Macedonians and will strengthen even further their determination to join the European institutions soon,” said European Commission Romano Prodi on Thursday.

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