Skopje, 10 January 2024 (MIA) - Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska said Wednesday NATO has reacted over events in the air navigation service provider M-NAV but not in the form of official communication.

"When talking about NATO, we should not forget that we are NATO as well. Yes, there were questions asked at different levels during our daily communication but no official communication for now, at least not addressed to the Ministry of Defense. Nevertheless, we consider any type of communication as interest, which is quite legitimate. On the day of the incident, two NATO aircraft landed at the Skopje airport, so the Alliance's interest is clear. When such a situation occurs, it is important to have a proper response. The Government did its part of the job, it dismissed the managers. Now we urge other institutions to act professionally and do their part," Minister Petrovska told reporters.

Petrovska added that she has told PM Kovachevski there is no compromise with the security of Macedonian skies.

"This especially goes for institutions that are part of the state's critical infrastructure, such as M-NAV. All politically appointed officials, myself included, are here to guarantee that institutions are governed by professionalism," said Petrovska.

The Minister said she did not agree with the court's decision to issue precautionary measures and not detention for those involved in the incident.

"I personally do not agree and I believe they should reassess the decision. I do not want to influence decisions from the post of Defense Minister, but I think this situation should be perceived a bit more seriously, considering national and international law" said Petrovska.

She called on the M-NAV union and the three other unions in the defense sector to work on solutions for problems without their politicization.

"I urge unions to be professional and fight for the workers' rights, which is their task, but also call on them to distance themselves from politics," said Petrovska.

MIA file photo