Brussels, 18 February 2022 (MIA) – Defence Minister Slavjanka Petrovska this week took part in the NATO defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels, for the first time since taking office earlier this year. The meeting was largely dedicated to rising tensions with Russia and the security challenges facing Europe. NATO’s joint message is that there should be de-escalation and Moscow is expected to send concrete signals to that end, says Petrovska. Despite the security challenges Europe has been facing, the Minister insists that there is no room for concern since North Macedonia is safe and under control. You came to Brussels to attend the defence ministerial meeting in the midst of one of the biggest security crises Europe is facing at the moment. What were the main messages sent from the meeting and what are the messages that you should convey to the Macedonian public? It is very important in these situations amid the developments in and around Ukraine the political messages to be messages of peace first and foremost, and also messages calling for de-escalation. It is the pivotal message we all rallied around as we all considered it too important. Being a military and political alliance, NATO in addition to messages of withdrawal and defence of its own territory has to send such messages encouraging diplomatic solution to the crisis. Discussions during the meetings revolved around this. Have the 30 NATO members truly reached a consensus over the message of diplomatic efforts and de-escalation? Absolutely. It was included in the joint statement of the NATO defence ministers that we’re giving diplomatic efforts a chance, which have been made increasingly recently by top officials of the most powerful member countries. Namely, they paid a visit to Russia in an effort to defuse the situation. In the meantime, the NATO chief and some of the world’s most powerful leaders have said they do not trust the Russian messages and efforts for de-escalation. Have you been briefed any intelligence here as to whether Russia is really withdrawing its forces, does Russia is really committed to de-escalation? Should we be concerned that the situation could deteriorate at any time?   From a political point of view, we definitely welcome Russia’s statements announcing withdrawal of some of its troops. Theoretically, it is also to be welcomed as it probably leads a step closer to de-escalation. But, what’s crucial is that we must see withdrawal of troops on the ground. However, intelligence from NATO structures and intelligence services suggest that troop withdrawal is not visible on the ground. The situation is very closely being monitored. The NATO Secretary General mentioned “new normal”. What is “new normal”? Should Europe be engulfed in fear due to possible fresh conflict? Is Europe’s security architecture changing? What did he mean by that? Europe and the Euro-Atlantic region in general are constantly exposed to various types of threats, be it terrorism, hybrid threats, etc. It is an additional incentive for NATO to further advance its defence mechanism in order to tackle and address these challenges. Although the situation is far from relaxed considering the latest developments, there is no room to be afraid. We all agreed that NATO as a military and political alliance always acts united and what’s more important we all championed the principle – if one country is threatened, NATO will react. Our discussions during the meetings were focused on de-escalation, the NATO ministers didn’t consider another type of engagement. However, being member countries of the Alliance, we have the duty to guarantee the security of the territory of NATO. One of the main messages conveyed by the Secretary General is that NATO wants to enhance security in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Romania has said it is prepared for the arrival of battle groups, led by France. He said there are other countries, but fell short of saying which ones. Could you tell us if other countries in Southeast Europe, close to North Macedonia, are willing to welcome additional battle groups? The discussions of the defence ministers focused more on political debates. Deployment of troops is considered operational and tactical planning of the forces. We discussed how and in what way we could contribute to de-escalation of the situation. Deployment of NATO troops along the border has been happening for some time now, it is part of NATO’s deterrence and defence policy. The initial decision was made at the Warsaw Summit in 2016. Were you informed during the meetings if there are individual countries threatened by Russia, which might trigger the activation of Article 5 [Collective defence]? According to NATO’s solidarity policy, if a country feels threatened, we all feel threatened. We all agreed that the countries close to the eastern border should be rest assure that they are safe, because we will all act together in unity as an act of solidarity in such cases. You cannot reveal anything more concretely? Security assessments are sensitive information collected within NATO structures, but as a political body we have already sent a message of solidarity and unity. The ambition of Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO is at the heart of the NATO-Russia dispute. Each member country has its own opinion on the matter. Germany has said it cannot be done in the near future. NATO has been insisting that each country should be allowed to decide whether it wants to start the process of NATO accession. What’s North Macedonia’s position on possible NATO membership of both Ukraine and Georgia? During the discussions, we all emphasized NATO’s open door policy – each country that will decide on its own that it wants to join NATO, the doors are open as soon as it sends the application. It had been announced back in 2008 at the Bucharest Summit. North Macedonia said it wants to join and we became a member as soon as we met the criteria. The same open door principle applies for both Georgia and Ukraine. Could North Macedonia be under security threat if the situation in Europe, more specifically in Eastern Europe, worsened? North Macedonia’s security is stable, it has been confirmed by the relevant institutions in charge of home affairs. Security services have been following all developments not only in relation to the Russia-Ukraine conflicts, but also all other disputes. An early warning is part of their tasks in coordination with all services and institutions in charge of national security. At this point, there’s no room for concern and the situation is stable and safe. If NATO and the EU ordered sanctions against Russia in case the situation deteriorated, would North Macedonia also endorse sanctions? It is important to be aware that as NATO member we are involved in the decision-making process, where we also share our position. All future steps taken depending on the developments would require coordination by the political leadership in the country after which a national position would be established. The position would be revealed to NATO. Is North Macedonia fostering good relations with Russia? Is trade with Russia important? North Macedonia has always been fostering good relations with all countries, both political and economic. What we strongly advocate for is security of Europe and the region. It is a priority for us. All future decisions will be made in that regard. We shouldn’t make rushed decisions or decisions based on personal beliefs. They should be made as part of debates of the political leadership. What about designating more funds in the budget for defence as promised in 2014 and modernization of the army. What messages did you convey to the allies? Has North Macedonia met the requirements? The goal is by 2024 to record two percent of GDP for the defence budget. It is important to tell the citizens that this funding is singled out for our national defence. It will support the process of modernization and management of the Macedonian army, including investments in human resources. Since we are in NATO, we should have an army that is capable of addressing challenges facing the entire Alliance. Consequently, the country this year recorded 1.77% of the GDP for the army. I’ll repeat – this funding through different projects and procurements is invested in defence. Does it mean advanced army? Absolutely. It means more equipment, but also investments in human resources, because it’s important to have equipment but it’s more important to invest in human resources. Tanja Milevska Translated by Bisera Altiparmakova