Skopje, 13 March 2023 (MIA) – Laying flowers at the memorial of the members of the “Tiger” Special Anti-terrorist Unit at the Ilinden barracks marked the 42nd anniversary since the formation of the Special Anti-terrorist Unit.

Official delegations from the Government, the MoI and the families of the deceased members of the Unit, as well as a delegation from the Bosnian Ministry of Security led by the Minister of Security Nenad Neshikj laid flowers at the memorial.

PM Dimitar Kovachevski emphasized the importance of security of the citizens, as well as the security of “Tiger” members, which is why “we spare no expenses when it comes to your safety and security, you should want for nothing, and we will provide anything you need for effective work,” the PM said.

He said that it’s a point of pride that the Tiger SAU is no different than European police forces.

“This has been proven time and time again. There is no upper limit for your achievements because you’re always striving to be better,” PM Kovachevski said.

The Minister of Interior, Oliver Spasovski, said that the Tiger members have showcased their exceptional performance through 1800 activities in 2022 alone.

“We still remember their participation in the firefighting action, the rescue operations to save people stuck in the difficult terrains in Galichnik and the Gostivar area, rescuing people and vehicles from the storm in Skopje, the waters of Kalimanci, Berovsko, Vardar and Lepenec,” he said.

These results, the Minister says, are another indicator that Tiger can stand shoulder to shoulder with sister formations from Europe and the world. Improving working conditions and housing at the unit by repairing and renovating its parts, new specialized vehicles, equipping training polygons through the procurement and installation of wagons, procurement of ammo and implementing a selective course for the selection of new members are only some of the activities conducted during the previous year, according to Tiger commander, Dragan Prokopovski.

He reminisced about the seven unit members who died in the line of duty, and talked about some training programs in and out of this country that the units took part in, where Tiger was proven to be compatible with other anti-terrorist units from other countries.

A video presentation about the unit’s activities from 2022 was presented as well. Plaques, certificates of gratitude and an award for the best Tiger member were awarded as well.

Oliver Spasovski awarded Kilian Wahl, OSCE Chief of Mission, with a plaque, and plaques for 5, 15, 20 and 25 years of service in the Unit were awarded as well, as well as appropriate gifts and plaques to two Tiger members who are retiring this year. dk/sk/