The State Secretary in the Ministry, Elizabeta Chupovska-Ristova, participated today in a panel discussion, entitled “Platform 6 – 100% DEDICATED TO YOU – Focus on Justice, Security and Defense” where she emphasized that our country is safe and stable, a fact that has also been confirmed by the Security Council. Chupovska-Ristova added that the country actively contributes to the regional and collective security of the Alliance.
“Macedonia’s contribution to regional security is properly valued and confirmed by all NATO allies,” said Chupovska-Ristova and added that “we actively contribute to guaranteeing collective security, and we prove this with our participation in the multinational forces that are deployed in Latvia, Bulgaria and Romania”.
Regarding the situation and the current challenges in defense, Chupovska-Ristova said that a challenging financial situation was encountered, but that with an appropriate analysis of the situation and the allocation of funds with the rebalancing of the Budget, financial resources were provided for the payment of all outstanding and current obligations to the members of the Army and defense employees for 2024 and 2025.
Chupovska-Ristova also referred to the modernization of the Army, which is proceeding according to plans, the cooperation with partners and allies, and defense budgeting, while saying that “one of the key priorities that the Government is working on is ensuring stable funding in defense”. The State Secretary added that next year the defense budget will also amount to over 2 percent of the gross domestic product.
In addition to the State Secretary in the Ministry, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Panče Toškovski, and the Minister of Justice, Igor Filkov, also took part in “Platform 6 – 100% DEDICATED TO YOU – Focus on Justice, Security and Defense” organized by the Government.
