Under the motto 'Imagine Macedonia in Green', Macedonia organized Friday the fourth campaign 'Tree Day-Plant Your Future', which should result in planting of 7,5 million seedlings in 32 municipalities throughout the country.

President Gjorge Ivanov planeted a tree in front of the 'Boris Trajkovski' hall, while Premier Nikola Gruevski and Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska at a location nearby the village of Mrsavci.

Gruevski praised the campaign for having multiple goals, including to protect the environment, people's health and to raise awareness amongst young people and to educate them how to appreciate nature.

- We've become an example in the region and beyond, many countries are following our efforts. I firmly believe that in the future the Balkans and even other countries will accept the campaign, stated Gruevski, adding he would support it as long as he held his post.

Vice-Premier and Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski planted a tree in the vicinity of Nova Breznica village, while Vice-Premier for Economic Affairs Vladimir Pesevski on on 'Ajvatovski Rid', near the Ajvatovci village.

Justice Minister Mihajlo Manevski and his Slovakian guest - Vice-Premier and Justice Minister Viera Petríková - joined the campaign by planting trees in the yard of 'Boris Trajkovski' hall. Vice-Premier Abdulakim Ademi, Ministers of Education, Transport, Information Society - Nikola Todorov, Mile Janakieski, Ivo Ivanovski - planted trees in Debar, Kriva Palanka, Ohrid, Bitola respectively. Mayors, MPs, army officers, soldiers, students, NGOs, companies... have joined today's campaign for greener Macedonia.

The campaign's mastermind, renowned opera singer Boris Trajanov, expressed satisfaction with the citizens' response.

Zarko Karadzovski, Director of the public enterprise 'Macedonian Forests' also confirmed the citizens massive support of the campaign for reforestation of the country. To this effect, the Government has declared Friday as a non-working day.

On the first showing in the spring of 2008, more than 150,000 Macedonians planted 2 million trees in one day (symbolically, one for each citizen). Six million more were planted in November, while this March the event saw a combined 5 million trees planted nationwide by a diverse network of volunteers.

Organizers say the next spring campaign will include Albania, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Serbia and Slovenia.

Macedonia and the Tree Day will be the centre of developing ecological awareness and afforestation in neighbouring countries, they say.