French Ambassador unveils WWI monument in Bitola


A monument made of granite from Macedonia and stone from France with the names inscribed of Macedonian men and women - victims of the First World War - was unveiled Wednesday in Bitola.

The monument was created by high school students from France who cooperated with their peers in Bitola. The memorial has been erected to testify about the events of WWI and the Macedonian Front.

"It is a monument to raise awareness about peace and the joint commitment from the French to the Macedonian Front," France's Ambassador Christian Thimonier said. "The stone from Caen, France, symbolizes the origin of the soldiers. The idea to inscribe the names of Macedonians aimed at casting light on the sufferings of civilians. Bitola is a place for us to meet and share and to research the Macedonian Front," he said at a ceremony to unveil the monument along the high school students from France and Macedonia at the French Military Cemetery in Bitola.

French MPs Bertrand Sorre and Gregory Galbadon, members of the French-Macedonian Friendship Parliamentary Group, also attended the commemorative ceremony in Bitola.