Skopje, 15 July 2022 (MIA) — Minister of Defense Slavjanka Petrovska met Friday with British Labor party representatives and Members of Parliament Alex Sobel and Stephen Doughty and discussed the defense cooperation between North Macedonia and the United Kingdom as NATO allies, according to an official press release. They discussed the recently held Swift Response 22 military drill, which was the largest exercise held on the territory of North Macedonia so far and demonstrated the country’s military readiness and interoperability. Minister Petrovska said North Macedonia was a reliable partner committed to Western values and its NATO membership had made the Balkans more stable and safer. She added that rapid integration into the EU would further strengthen regional stability and security. She thanked them for the continuous support and donations from the United Kingdom that have helped build the capacities of the ministry and of the army. Sobel and Doughty are British lawmakers who have been advocating for the rapid integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union. mr/