Skopje, 31 August 2024 (MIA) - Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski took part Saturday in the annual Ohrid Security Forum, the Marshall Center’s annual conference for Southeast European alumni in cooperation with the European Center for Security Studies and the embassies of the United States and Germany. 

In his speech, Toshkovski said the common Euro-Atlantic values are the main driving force of the Western Balkan countries in overcoming their differences and resuming their Euro-Atlantic integration processes.

“As a NATO member, security and stability have significantly improved both in our country and across the region. We cooperate very closely with all our neighbours that are also members of the Alliance and we jointly contribute to the development of the Alliance,” the Minister said among other things. 

Toshkovski pointed out the main security threats, trends and challenges the country has been facing, including organized crime and corruption, illegal migration, human trafficking, smuggling of migrants, etc. 

“Illegal migration and the different forms of border crime are one of the main challenges the Ministry has been facing. These include hybrid threats, physiological and cyber-attacks, espionage, spreading of disinformation, whose aim is to create a perception of insecurity and to diminish the citizens’ trust in the democratic institutions,” said Minister Toshkovski mentioning the hybrid attacks recorded in the country in 2022 and 2023. 

The Ministry, he added, has been also tackling other challenges, including terrorism, violent extremism and radicalism. “The Interior Ministry remains committed alongside the Western Balkan countries to closely cooperate with all international security institutions in overcoming the challenges and ensuring security of its citizens,” Toshkovski concluded. 

Photo: MoI