Skopje, 20 November 2025 (MIA) - The Red Cross is hosting on Thursday a meeting of the Neighbours Help First network, a platform created six years ago to enable cooperation and exchange of good practices in disaster response, Red Cross Secretary-General Sait Saiti said ahead of today's event whereby the Red Cross and the Red Crescent societies launched the Neighbours Help First network and the Red Cross first response unit. 

According to Saiti, this is a good opportunity to make preparations for the coming period, given developments in the region and the world. He added that the ambition of the Red Cross is to adapt its response, its preparations and everything that is necessary.

"As part of the event, we are also promoting our first response unit as a new segment in the disaster response program. A unit of the Red Cross and the single national disaster response system that will provide quality and efficiency in dealing with future crisis situations in the country," said Saiti. 

Minister of Defence Vlado Misajlovski, who addressed Thursday's launch of the regional platform for cooperation between the national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies for the countries in the region, stressed that only with mutual cooperation and support can we contribute to a safe, stable and secure region and achieve the common goals of growth and development of countries.

"Crisis situations and natural disasters are increasingly crossing national borders and have regional consequences, therefore we need mutual regional coordination, partnership and a joint response more than ever," said Misajlovski.

Misajlovski expressed gratitude to all countries that have not hesitated to provide help when needed during the past 30 years and more. Many of them, he added, helped with human resources and equipment, while contributing to building the country's capacities.

"Any cooperation with neighbours and other partner and allied countries is particularly important in promoting prevention, early warning and crisis management mechanisms. All these past years, the Ministry of Defence, the Army, the Red Cross, state institutions and municipalities, through regular coordination, joint training, education, practical exercises and humanitarian actions, make ongoing and strategic cooperation possible with one single goal - timely protection and safety for all citizens," said the Minister of Defence.

He stressed he was particularly proud of the representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Army and all those who make their personal contribution in preserving the security and peace of the homeland. 

Executive President of the Croatian Red Cross, Robert Markt, congratulated North Macedonia's Red Cross for all its achievements, for everything it does, as well as for taking over the chairmanship of the Secretariat in leading the regional network Neighbours Help First.

"We have fantastic cooperation, and we are proud to have such partners. The Croatian Red Cross develops projects and programs, which, in addition to the network, it shares with its colleagues and with the Macedonian Red Cross, and we believe that this is a good model for exchanging experiences. We have similar laws and in a very simple way we can point out best practices to each other," Markt said. 

Representatives from the region, the academic community, and the Army also attended the event.

Photo: MIA and Ministry of Defence