Skopje, 26 September 2022 (MIA) – Security issues have always been an important topic, and the Russian aggression in Ukraine is currently the most prevalent security issue that produced a tectonic shift in the stability of the European continent, at a time when we thought that we have entered a period of long-term peace and stability after the fall of the Berlin Wall, says President Stevo Pendarovski. President Pendarovski delivered an online address at the opening of the 13th international conference “Education Challenges and Security Perspectives”, organized on the 45th anniversary of higher education in the field of security in Struga on Monday. “It was clear after the 2014 annexation of Crimea that the European security architecture faced significant challenges but no one expected direct military aggression on an independent and sovereign state. We have condemned the Russian aggression and fully supported the Ukrainian people in the defense of its independence that involved not only political but also specific technical assistance and military equipment. Considering the capacities and the size of the country, we belong to the group of states that helped Ukraine the most, and we did this not only because we are a NATO member but also because we believe in the principles of international law that does not allow a military aggression of one country on another,” said Pendarovski. The war in Ukraine, said the President, has brought about numerous challenges in many fields that the world, and especially Europe, are faced with, the largest being the energy crisis, along with the security challenges from third parties or the so-called malignant actors that want to see the Balkans destabilized, but also the rise of inflation, disinformation and populist rhetoric that is on the rise while utilizing the evident standstill in the Euro-integration of the Western Balkans. According to him, many have realized the significance of the Euro-Atlantic perspective after the aggression in Ukraine, adding it is extremely important that the enhanced EU cohesion and interest for the region continue after the sooner end of the Russian aggression. “We believe that NATO membership is the biggest factor of stabilization in the region and beyond. Political institutions and security experts will have to focus on the hybrid threats in the coming period. We will need to swiftly adapt, not only in the traditional means of warfare but also in the latest digital technological tools that are required for increased resilience to disinformation,” underlined President Pendarovski.