Skopje, 25 April 2024 (MIA) — Caretaker Prime Minister Talat Xhaferi met Wednesday afternoon with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Policy and Planning Angus Lapsley on a working visit to Skopje.

According to an official press release, caretaker PM Xhaferi confirmed North Macedonia's increasingly stronger contribution to NATO.

"Achieving 2.05 percent of GDP for the defense budget, 30 percent of which goes to modernizing the army, is a strong indicator of that contribution," the release says.

It adds that the country has positioned itself as one of the pillars of regional stability by contributing to collective security through the NATO multinational forces in Romania, in Bulgaria and in Latvia as well as in the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, and in the EU operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ALTHEA.

Meeting participants discussed the upcoming NATO Summit in Washington marking the 75th anniversary of the Alliance as well as current defense plans, taking into account the global security situation in Europe and the world. 

They also confirmed the support NATO member countries, including North Macedonia, give to Ukraine.

Assistant Secretary General Lapsley voiced appreciation for North Macedonia as a valued member of NATO.

"The alliance is more united and stronger than ever in its history, and with the membership of Finland and Sweden, NATO is guaranteeing the security of over 1 billion citizens of the democratic world," the release says. mr/