Skopje, 29 March 2022 (MIA) – The country’s security situation is stable and there are no indications for a direct threat at this time from a security standpoint. There have been no hybrid breaches or other more serious actions until now, but institutions have been reporting on certain minor incidents of that type, said Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska on Tuesday. “With regards to hybrid threats, North Macedonia, as NATO member but also a Balkan state in general, has continually been under some kind of threat or potential threat,” Minister Petrovska told reporters. She said that one of the major benefits from the NATO membership is that North Macedonia has the capacities to guarantee its own security but is also part of the Alliance’s collective system of security. On the security and safety of information exchanged by NATO allies, the Defense Minister clarified that exchange is carried out through the Alliance secure communication system, managed by NATO structures. On the deployment of Macedonian troops at NATO’s eastern flank, Petrovska said this is carried out in line with the NATO plans, in which the country is still not incorporated since they had been drafted back in 2016. “Nevertheless, the involvement of our troops will be obvious due to the increased engagement in general. We have not taken a decision on this yet. Considering the dynamics in the field, we will respond accordingly if something specific is requested from us,” said Petrovska and added that the Army is always prepared to respond to the challenges at hand.