Macedonia is united in its grief over the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and the 96-member delegation. Macedonian citizens were paying their respects to those who perished in the plane crash lighting candles and laying flowers outside the Polish Embassy in Skopje over the weekend. The state leadership also signed the book of condolence at the Embassy.

Expressing condolences to the Polish people and the families of those who died in the plane crash near Smolensk, in Russia, President Gjorge Ivanov said: “In these difficult moments for our friends, I told the Polish ambassador that just as Poland had always expressed heartfelt support in all the difficult moments for the people of Macedonia, so its people may count on our unconditional backing now and in the future.”

On the occasion of the plane crash killing the entire Polish delegation and members of the crew, condolences were also expressed by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski who wrote to his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk: “You lost the father of the nation and Macedonia lost an honest and good friend”.