Skopje, 16 September 2023 (MIA) - Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska addressed Friday an Independence Day and Army Day reception at the Embassy of North Macedonia in Washington, thanking the United States for its suipport in the development of democracy and strengthening of peace.

Minister Petrovska said the country has faced many challenges and made difficult decisions throughout the three decades of independence, the Ministry of Defense said in a press release.

"In the early 1990s, my country faced an enormous challenge - to declare independence while avoiding war and suffering. Today, by promoting the European concept of unity in diversities, we are working on the constitutional amendments and ensuring our path to the European Union," Petrovska told the reception.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and Special Representative to the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, former U.S. ambassador Jess Baily, former defense attaches and other guests attended the reception, reads the press release.

Photo: Ministry of Defense