Skopje, 18 August 2022 (MIA) - It is important that the Army, whether big or small, should guarantee the security of the citizens, the economic development of the country and the security of the institutions, it was concluded Thursday at Thursday's central event marking the 30th anniversary of the Macedonian Army. The Army, formed in an exceptionally complex, geopolitical and security climate at the peak of the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia and the end of the Cold War, shared the same challenges of the young Macedonian state, said President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Stevo Pendarovski. "We'd started modestly with scarce military reserves, but we had patriots, military officials and soldiers, who had filled the Macedonian barracks since day one," Pendarovski said greeting the first recruit in the Macedonian Army, Panche Jamandiev from Veles. Mentioning that the Army was engaged in addressing key challenges of the country, including the 1999 Kosovo crisis, the 2001 war conflict, and the 2015 migrant crisis, Pendarovski said the Army has transformed into a cohesive force of the Macedonian society. An integral part of the Army's transformation, he noted, should be the increased engagement of members of non-majority ethnic communities and women in all army structures, including the special units. Referring to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the President said North Macedonia since day one had condemned the aggression showing solidarity with the Ukrainian people. "This solidarity is not only verbal, it is concrete assistance, including military assistance, provided by us as a NATO member and according to our possibilities," Pendarovski stated adding that the country given the new geopolitical context supports the NATO enlargement decision being one of the first countries that have ratified the NATO accession agreements of Sweden and Finland. "Investments in defense must resume and we have to meet the mark of singling out at least 2 percent of the GDP no later than 2024," President Pendarovski urged. Speaking at the central ceremony, Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska said that all the achievements made in the past three decades should be preserved and upgraded with even better results. "The Republic of North Macedonia today has a modern security system equipped to respond to complex security risks, which should be modernized and adjusted constantly," she stated noting that the Macedonian Army has proven a dignified partner in international missions. The Macedonian Army today, Petrovska added, is incorporating NATO standards all the while being developed according to the national needs and the collective defense system. According to the Minister, modernization, development of human and material capacities, sustainability, good governance and precise regulation remain an imperative to protect stability and security. "The Defense Ministry remains committed to implementing all measures and activities included in the Defense Development Plan as well as to the NATO Strategic Concept and the MKD Defense 2030 concept," Petrovska said. The event also included a military parade and a presentation of new armored vehicles and equipment. On Aug. 18, 1943, the Mirce Acev battalion was founded on Mount Slavej in country’s south-west Macedonia, considered the first organized military formation in Macedonia in WWII. Today, Macedonian Army together with the armies of 29 other countries is an integral part of the largest collective security system after North Macedonia officially become NATO’s 30th member in March 2020.