Ohrid, 27 August 2021 (MIA) — North Macedonia is Slovenia’s friend. North Macedonia's place is in the European Union, so Slovenia will do everything in its power to help it become a full member of the EU as soon as possible. You have the full support of Slovenia. We will do our best to make our Bulgarian friends understand it is also in their interest for North Macedonia to become an EU member, said Slovenia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Matej Tonin, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, at a press conference in Ohrid with his counterpart Radmila Shekerinska on Friday. North Macedonia and Slovenia nurture a strategic partnership that will be strengthened with a formal agreement signed on Friday, Tonin said, expressing his confidence that cooperation would intensify. "I look forward to the day when you become a full member of the EU," Tonin added. He also welcomed the decision of North Macedonia to send troops to join the Slovenian contingent on a NATO mission to Latvia. Besides discussing future cooperation as NATO allies at the meeting, the two defense ministers also talked about the emergency response to the recent wildfires. “We are here to help you whenever you need us,” Tonin said. “I am proud of our protection and rescue system, which in recent years has improved even more. We are ready to donate firefighting equipment to North Macedonia and to provide training for firefighters and further strengthen our friendship and partnership.” "We will help your firefighters become better prepared to face challenges, because the world is full of challenges and emergencies," the Slovenian Minister of Defense noted. Later in the day, Shekerinska and her counterpart will visit Berovo and meet with mayor Zvonko Pekevski who will hand the Slovenian Minister a plaque, as a symbol of appreciation for Slovenia’s rapid assistance in fighting the wildfires. mr/