Honored President of the Government of Republic Macedonia, Mr.Zoran Zaev,
Honored Ms.Donka Gligorova,able minist daughter of President Gligorov,
Honorers and deputy minister in the Government of the Republic Macedonia,
Honorary President of the Council of Municipality Shtip, Mr.Jane Milanov,
Honored councilors,
Honored present,

Today is a great day for Shtip. Today Shtip and the citizens of Shtip pay respect to our fellow citizen, father of the nation, first president of the Republic Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov. 

At the beginning of the solemnity, I would like to pay tremendous gratitude to the daughter of President Gligorov, Ms.Donka Gligorova, who was generous and shared his personal items with us. We are committed to taking care of them and in that way to preserve the memory of our President Gligorov.

Today is a city holiday, because the opening of the memorial room shows us pride, dignity and maturity by giving it recognition to our visible and prominent citizens.

We, residents of Shtip, appreciate the true values and repel the true Macedonian heroes and patriots. That is why last year we posthumously awarded President Gligorov with the order of St.Nickolas .It is a worthy award and we continue to remember him as a president who had a significant role in the independence of our country.

President Gligorov was a democrat who in his long and fruitful political career always advocated tolerance and exploitation of the benefits of a healthy political dialogue. Not only does it signify the sovereignty and independence of Macedonia, but our country has worked honestly and diligently to be integrated into all relevant international organizations. His numerous visits to the Macedonian successes in the world were freed from nationalism and dedicated to peace and friendship aimed at the international establishment of the Macedonian state.

For his dedication and desire to correct Macedonia, speaks the fact that the presidential function enters into his 73 years after a long, fruitful and political career in Belgrade. President Gligorov has decided to sacrifice the tranquility that his retirement days would bring him to set up the institutional foundations of the independent Macedonian state and to correct our country on the right path. From the difficult process of disintegration of the republics of SFRJ, Macedonia is the only country that has come out without any punishment and the merits for that happy circumstance are entirely his.

There is no bigger evidence for patriotism than to sacrifice ourselves to prevent isolation of the state and at the same time to secure peace for the people. When we appreciate and evaluate the work of the President Gligorov, we do not have doubt and we do not hesitate to say that everyone has acted wisely, rationally and well thought-out as a true statesman. Because of its diplomatic, political and state competence, Macedonia is not an undefined territory, but a member of the UN and a number of other important international organizations, and with real possibilities for accelerating integration in NATO and the EU. The time shows that for these publications, the President Gligorov was completely right.  

President Kiro Gligorov is a historical figure with enormous amounts of merit, and whatever we do it won’t be enough to repay him and thank him. But we must actively work to maintain the memory of the patriotism, courage, wisdom of the man with the most prominent biography in contemporary Macedonian history. All the citizens of Republic Macedonia have this duty , especially we do, residents of Shtip.

Diplomats and politicians from other countries are still pointing to the positive effects of the work of the architect of the independent Republic of Macedonia. We should be proud with that, but also to express that we care.

„Macedonia is all we have,“ said president Gligorov. And in order to preserve what we have, we must pay respect towards the person who marked the most important period of the modern history of our country. If we keep it to ourselves, then we must not write down the history, nor do we think that it starts from us. President Gligorov deserves much more than a good remembrance of significant dates. As his fellow citizens, we have the duty to keep him as a memory, to provide him the right place in the history of our country.