A LEADER of the conference in North Macedonia where Alex Salmond spent his last few days said the forum is “in a state of shock” over his death. 

Salmond died aged 69 following a suspected heart attack after making a speech at the Cultural Diplomacy Forum in Ohrid on Saturday afternoon. 

The former first minister spoke on a panel at the event which focused on "leadership, cultural bridges and legal frameworks in post-conflict reconciliation".

Mark Donfried, director of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy, told the PA news agency Salmond had been in "the best of spirits" before he collapsed into the arms of a colleague at lunch. 

Donfried said he called an ambulance immediately but when he returned, Salmond was "on the floor". 

He said: “He was here the last few days, he gave excellent participation two days ago at the panel discussion.

“He was really in the best of spirits, the best of health, and I was sitting across from him at lunch yesterday when all of a sudden he just went out and fell into the arms of a colleague of mine on the other side of the table.

"I immediately got up and ran to call an ambulance and when I came back, he was on the floor.”

Donfried added: “We’re all completely shocked – the entire hotel, the conference, it’s been very difficult for all of us.

“He was a great man who we all looked up to and so we’re still all in a state of shock.

“Last night, we had a brief moment of reflection on his legacy.

“There was a humility with Alex, he had an authenticity, it was amazing to see how he’d touched individuals he had only known for a few days.”

Salmond was the leader of the SNP twice during his political career and is largely credited for helping take the party from the fringe into the mainstream as he led the SNP into power when they won the Scottish Parliament election in 2007.

The party then won an unprecedented majority in the election four years later which helped pave the way for the referendum on Scottish independence. 

He served as the first minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014 and helped lead the Yes movement in the 2014 independence referendum. Salmond resigned as first minister shortly after the result.

He later formed the pro-independence Alba Party in 2021 and was the party's leader.