The President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, in the framework of the “Face to Face with the President” project, visited the municipality of Kocani today.
President Pendarovski visited Kiro Stojov, who donated part of his liver to a person who is not his next of kin, which is a rare case not only in our country but also in the wider region. “Humanity knows no boundaries”, Stojov said, a Kocani resident who donated part of his liver three years ago to a 39-year-old person who is not related to him. Stojov said that he had no second thoughts about doing so. “What a brave man! He saved the life of my child”, said the mother of the person whose life was saved by Stojov. Stojov appealed to all who are able to follow his example and be humane.
In Kocani, President Pendarovski visited the municipal high school “Gosho Vikentiev”, where he met with the student innovators and their mentors, members of “The MAKBot Pioneers” team, represented North Macedonia at the Detroit World Championship, organized by the Association for Recognition of Science and Technology and the LEGO company.
“The MAKBot Pioneers” team is comprised of nine students from several elementary and high schools in Kocani. The team operates within the high school “Gosho Vikentiev” and works as part of the robotics cabinet. Their project is dedicated to utilizing the untapped potential of thermal waters, which have the right temperature for growing the algae spirulina when returned as waste water.
During the visit, President Pendarovski visited the “Iskra” Library, which has a library fund of about 90,000 books and met with some of the most active readers. In the city library, President Pendarovski also met with local media journalists, who conveyed the problems they face in their work.
President Pendarovski attended the training at the Osogovo football team, one of the oldest in our country, established in 1924.
150 hectares of forest, of which 30 to 40 years old pines and many bee families were destroyed in three successive arson fires in Kocani in August. “The forests are our treasure that we must keep together”, President Pendarovski said, who symbolically planted today along with Mayor Nikolco Iliev, Army members, firefighters and local government about 30 seedlings on the slopes of the Osogovo Mountains.
In Kocani, President Pendarovski visited the Institute of Agriculture – Department of Rice. Once a leading institute with 30 employees, today there are only three employees who stressed the need to normalize the work of the institute by providing funding, as well as new hires and investing in young staff.
President Pendarovski visited in the “Extra-Fungi” company, which deals with purchase and processing of mushrooms. The staff introduced him to the work of the company, which has been operating since 1988 and has been steadily growing and succeeding. This is important for smaller cities, according to the President, as it creates opportunities for new jobs and improving the living standard of the local population. Company officials have highlighted the problem of shortage of seasonal labor.
The “Face to Face with the President” project was announced in President Pendarovski’s election program. The aim is through visits to settlements in North Macedonia, President Pendarovski to meet as many citizens as possible and to hear closely the problems and challenges the citizens face, as well as ideas for overcoming them.
