Skopje, 18 October 2023 (MIA) – North Macedonia is a credible ally that invests in the national and collective defense, concluded Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska and NATO’s Defense Planning Director, Karl Ford, alongside his team, at a regular bilateral consultation between North Macedonia and the NATO alliance on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Defense, at the meeting Minister Petrovska noted that North Macedonia is a committed and active NATO ally which is providing a meaningful contribution to the collective security.

“With the contribution of the NATO multinational forces in Latvia, Romania, and Bulgaria, the Macedonian Army is strengthening the collective security and the security of every citizen of the Alliance. We remain committed to regional security, and we are working towards it through our participation in the NATO mission in Kosovo – KFOR,” said the Minister.

The Defense Minister added that North Macedonia will continue to invest in its Army, as proven by the fact it will allocate 2 percent of its GDP to defense, one-third of which, she said, will be used for modernization and equipping.

Defense Planning Director Ford welcomed North Macedonia’s contribution to collective security, especially within the frameworks of NATO’s multinational forces in the eastern flank.

“During the bilateral consultations, which were led by State Secretary Vladimir Anchev on Tuesday and Wednesday, talks were held over the progress in the implementation of the assigned NATO capability targets in several areas such as defense policy, finances, ground forces, logistics, air forces, special forces, stabilization and reconstruction capacities, as well as civil preparedness,” said the Ministry of Defense in a press release.

Photo: Ministry of Defense