Brussels, 15 February 2024 (MIA) – NATO is a defensive Alliance and we don’t represent a threat to anyone, but we are united in our unwavering commitment to defend our allied nations of over one billion people, said Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska in her address Thursday at the meeting of the North Atlantic Council on the level of ministers of defense.

MIA’s Brussels correspondent reports that the meeting focused on trans-Atlantic unity, defense and deterrence, increased investment in defense and allied support for Ukraine.

“North Macedonia is one of the 18 allied countries who met the jointly agreed criteria for investment of at least 2 percent of GDP in defense. This year, 2.05 percent of Macedonian GDP or EUR 327 million will be invested in defense, almost a third of which will be for modernization and equipping which also fulfills the second NATO criterion,” said Petrovska.

Petrovska said the Macedonian Army is undergoing a significant process of modernization and equipping, which, she said, boosts the national defense, as well as the collective defense of NATO.

She stressed that members of the Army of North Macedonia are providing their own contribution in strengthening collective security, defense and deterrence, through their participation in NATO’s multinational forces in Latvia, Romania and Bulgaria.

The meeting also discussed the preparations for the NATO Summit, which will be held in Washington in July 2024. The Summit will mark the 75th anniversary since the establishment of the Alliance in 1949.

Alongside the other defense ministers at the meeting, Petrovska voiced her expectations that Sweden will also participate in the Summit in Washington as a full-fledged NATO member.

Within the frameworks of the ministerial meeting, the NATO-Ukraine Council held a meeting as well, during which Minister Petrovska reaffirmed North Macedonia’s support for Kiev, stating that Ukraine has the right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Since the very beginning, we have been clear regarding our position – the Russian aggression violated international law and the rules-based order. So far we have adopted 12 decisions for military and humanitarian aid, members of the Ukrainian Army are being trained in the country and this assistance will continue in the future as well,” said Petrovska.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Petrovska, alongside the defense ministers of 13 allied countries, under the auspices of the United Kingdom, signed a Letter of Intent regarding the increase of ammunition production capacities and industrial resilience through NATO’s multinational procurement initiatives.

Photo: Ministry of Defense