UAE expresses solidarity with North Macedonia over victims of fire

 The United Arab Emirates has expressed its sincere condolences and solidarity with North Macedonia over the victims of a fire in Kočani town, which resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy with North Macedonia and its people, and to the families of the victims, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured.

Authorities in North Macedonia are appealing for calm as student groups called for fresh protests on Tuesday following the horrific nightclub fire that killed 59 people and injured more than 150 over the weekend.

The disaster, which occurred early on Sunday at Club Pulse in the eastern town of Kocani after pyrotechnics were used during a concert there, has sparked outrage over alleged corruption and safety violations.

Demonstrations took place Monday in both Kocani and the capital, Skopje, with some turning violent - protesters in Kocani overturned a van and hurled rocks at a municipal building. "We must call once again for reason," Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said in an interview with private Sitel television late on Monday.

"We must allow the prosecuting authorities to do their job so that in the end we can finally normalize the state." Investigations have so revealed that the club was operating at at least double its 250-person capacity without proper licensing.

Agencies