At the press conference in the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bujar Osmani, the Minister of the Interior, Oliver Spasovski and the Minister of Transport and Communications, Blagoj Bochvarski, presented more details related to the care of the injured, the transport of the remains of the victims in the accident which happened in Bulgaria on November 23rd, as well as on other aspects and issues connected with the investigation regarding the tragic accident. 

The Foreign Minister, Bujar Osmani, underlined that the injured persons who are now in the hospital “Pirogov” are stable and as of tomorrow two of them will be discharged. The Ministry of Health has undertaken the obligation to provide their transport back to the country, as well as medical care in Skopje. Furthermore, the transport of the of the injured will be done consecutively, for each of the seven citizens, in accordance with their health and the decision of the hospital staff for their discharge and acceptance by our health workers. 
Moreover, Osmani informed that the task force in the MFA is preparing a coordination plan for dignified transport of the remains of the victims following the directions issued by the Government. He also stated that the costs arising from the organization of the transport and the funeral will be fully covered by the Government. 

The embassy in Sofia gathered information on the transport capacity of the companies in Sofia and Skopje and, the minister said, transport will be organized in cooperation and communication with the families of the deceased. 

The Minister of the Interior, Oliver Spasovski, conveyed the information confirmed by the Bulgarian Public Prosecution, according to whom, the bus transported 52 passengers; 45 persons were killed in the accident and the fire arising from it while 7 persons managed to leave the bus and were transferred to the “Pirogov” hospital in Sofia. 
Spasovski clarified that the police are inspecting the documents which the persons and the vehicles should own when crossing the national borders i.e., the passports and IDs of the passengers whereas representatives of the MoI are inspecting the traffic license and the green card. The control of the licenses issued for bus transportation on the border crossings is under the authority of the Customs Administration and the National Inspectorate for Transport. 

According to MoI’s documents, Minister Spasovski informed that the bus involved in the tragedy in Bulgaria, in 2020 had 22 cases of entrance in and exit from the country, whereas in 2021 it crossed the national borders 113 times. This bus was registered for the first time in Skopje on October 15th, 2020 and is owned by BESA TRANS BTB DOOEL. The last technical inspection was done on October 5th, 2021. 

Furthermore, Spasovski said that according to the results for measured values at the technical inspection conducted by professionals within the authorized legal entity, there are no deviations pointing to defects of the vehicles and there were no remarks. Moreover, the registration is valid by October 13th, 2022, and the vehicle was manufactured in 2007. 
The Minister of the Interior Spasovski underlined that pursuant to the new information from the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Criminology and Medical Deontology at the Medical Faculty in Skopje, biological material was secured by relatives of 44 passengers and the DNA profiles were transferred to our Prosecution. This material will be given to the competent services in Bulgaria where the material will be used to connect the families with the remains. The biological material for the 45th passenger was collected in Sofia. 
The Minister of Transport and Communications, Blagoj Bochvarski, informed that the bus with registration plates SK0284BA which was in an accident in the Republic of Bulgaria, was not registered by the owner in the single electronic database within the Ministry and it did not possess statement from the license. Moreover, it used an invalid statement referring to other bus for transport of passengers. 

Regarding the speculations in the public of the methods in which Besa Trans BTB crossed the borders, Minister Bochvarski informed that the statement of the license No. 22679 appearing in the electronic system of the Customs Administration and used for this bus when exiting the country, is in fact the number of a license for another vehicle with different registration plates, also owned by Besa Trans BTB. This clearly shows that the operator abused the statement of the license from another vehicle and in other occasions presented the license of the company, thus knowingly violating the provisions stipulated in the Law for transportation in road traffic. 

Therefore, the Ministry of Transport and Communications withdrew the license of the operator Besa Trans BTB, underlined Bochvarski while adding that at the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Transport and Communications has already given them the documents for the operator Besa Trans BTB and that in the forthcoming period, they will act pursuant to the needs of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. 

Minister of Transport and Communications, Blagoj Bochvarski:

Distinguished citizens, 
Distinguished media representatives, 
At today’s press conference I would like to clarify and inform on several aspects referring to the validity of the licenses and the statements of the licenses owned by the operator Besa Trans BTB and their abuse during performing international transport of passengers. 

For the purpose of providing accurate information, I would like to underline the following information. The operator Besa Trans owned two licenses for operation as follows: 
-    License for free transport of passengers in the international traffic No. 007017. I have already decided for the license to be revoked due to the abuse done by the operator. 
-    This company possessed a license for line transportation of passengers in the domestic traffic No. 8528 and this license expired in October 2021 and is invalid. 
-    These licenses refer to the legal entity Besa Trans BTB as a company and not to the vehicles. 

Regarding the possession of statements from licenses for buses for free transport of passengers in the international traffic, the operator Besa Trans BTB owned statements from licenses for 4 buses with the following registration plates:  
    SK 4436 AI
    SK 0886 AK
    SK 0583 AR
    SK 8004 AH 

I want to immediately underline that the burned bus with registration plates SK0284BA which was in traffic accident in the Republic of Bulgaria was not reported by the owner in the single electronic database of the Ministry and it did not possess a statement from the license and used invalid statement issued for another bus for transportation of passengers. 

Pursuant to the Law on Transport in Road Traffic Article 11 paragraph 1 the operator can start transportation of passengers in the domestic and international road traffic after it is issued a license for the company and a statement of the license for the motor vehicle. 
The operator neither registered nor requested the Ministry of Transport and Communications for a license for the bus and therefore, it is not registered in the single database. 
Another important point which is being speculated in the public is the method in which Besa Trans BTB crossed the border. 

The statement of the license No. 22679 appearing in the electronic system of the Customs Administration and used for the bus to exit the country, is in fact, the number of the license for another vehicle with different registration plates, also owned by the operator Besa Trans BTB. 
This clearly points that the operator abused the statement of the license from another vehicle and on another occasion, it presented the license of the company, thus knowingly violating the provisions stipulated in the Law on Transport in Road Traffic. 
Therefore, we informed that the Ministry of Transport and Communications revoked the license of the operator Besa Trans BTB for performing an activity. 

In the very end, I would like to inform you that following the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, has already presented the documents for the operator Besa Trans BTB and in the following period, we will act pursuant to the requests and needs of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. 
Regarding the Ministry’s competences, I have already said that we acted in compliance with the Law on Transport in the Road Traffic, and we decided to revoke the license for work and inability to perform the activity. The operator has the right to appeal; however, the appeal does not postpone the decision, meaning that they are obligated to submit their license and statements of license in the Ministry. 
Thank you. 

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bujar Osmani:

Distinguished representatives of the media, distinguished citizens, 

Allow me to inform you on the activities and the processes which I personally have led in these past few days and are related to the tragic accident in the Republic of Bulgaria where forty-five of our citizens have tragically lost their lives. I would like to convince you that we are fully committed to this case from any aspect and that we are doing anything in our power to provide dignified treatment of the injured and the victims, including their families who, justifiably, request information and access to their relatives. 

In the very beginning I would like to inform you that as of tomorrow the hospital in Sofia will discharge the first two patients and the Ministry of Health has undertaken the obligation to secure the transport back to the country and their medical care in Skopje. This system of transport of the injured will be performed consecutively for each of the seven citizens appropriately to their health and the decisions of the hospital staff for their discharge and transfer to our health workers and institutions. 

As I have already announced, I have already tasked the task force in the MFA to prepare a coordination plan for the transport, but also the coordination of all institutions involved to secure dignified transport of the deceased. Therefore, the Government adopted a decision for establishment of an inter-department body led by me and consisted of the Minister of Transport, Bochvarski, the Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Shahpaska and the Minister of Health, Venko Filipche. At our request, the Government adopted a decision to dover all costs arising from the organization of the transport and thus, will undertake the obligation for dignified transport from Sofia to Skopje and the other locations given by the relatives. 

Moreover, the Government assigned the Ministry of the Interior to secure crossing of the border, and this will be agreed with the authorities in Bulgaria. 
Furthermore, I would like to inform that now we are having meetings that define the joint activities of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, the Administration for Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates, as well as other competent institutions which have partial authorities in this process, and thus, as an institution in charge we will provide precise coordination of the whole process. 

In the past few days, the Embassy in Sofia collected the capacities for transport in Sofia, and today we had contacts with several companies dealing with this activity in Skopje, including the company JSC Butel; according to the information, I believe that we have quality mapping of the capacities to perform the transport from Sofia to Skopje, and it was timely done. I expect that we will not face special challenges to complete this transport. 

Distinguished citizens, 
We cannot bring back the lost lives and we cannot hide the grief; it remains only to do what we can, to secure dignity for the victims and for the injured, as well as for their families. Thank you.