The security situation in the country is stable and there are no indications of threats to the integrity and sovereignty of the country, said Defense Minister Vlado Misajlovski, who participated today (November 5) in the conference entitled “NATO – 75 years of Unity, Cooperation And Collective Defense: Security Challenges for Europe” “. In his address, the Minister referred to the need for close cooperation with the allies in dealing with all security challenges, the support for Ukraine, as well as the continuous investment in the Army – in its modernization, but also in the development of human capacities.
“Collective security is connected, the most important thing at this moment is to monitor all security challenges and cooperate as closely as possible with our partners from NATO and the European Union,” the Minister said. In response to a question related to internal risks for NATO member countries, the Minister said that the security situation in the country is at the highest level, but also that the institutions must remain vigilant, monitor and prevent any security challenges. “One of the threats is disinformation and influence that comes directly from hybrid threats and interference in internal affairs,” the Minister said.
Misajlovski announced a new package of support for Ukraine, which should be part of a closed session of the Government today, and said that the support will continue in the future, in accordance with our capabilities and the need to maintain the combat readiness of the Army in the exercise of its competences.
Regarding modernization, the Minister said that several contracts are underway, mentioning the purchase of light armored vehicles JLTV and Stryker from the USA, air defense equipment, the purchase of howitzers. The development of the Light Infantry Battalion Group, he said, is our priority, which is also an obligation according to the quantitative and qualitative NATO Capability Targets. Misajlovski pointed out that in parallel with the modernization process, all obligations from the Collective Agreement of Defense and Army employees will be complied with because that is the only way to have a successful Army. “All this is related to the budget, and that is why I am glad that next year’s budget [of defense] will be over 2 percent, for which I express my gratitude to the entire Government,” the Minister added.
Misajlovski said that the integration into the European Union is extremely important for the country from many security related aspects and said that the country has excellent cooperation with its neighbors in the field of defense. An example of that, as he said, is the Mobility Agreement for Corridor 8, signed with Italy, Albania and Bulgaria in Washington, to which Romania also joined at the recent Ministerial meeting at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels.
The conference is co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Wilfried Matin Center for European Studies. In addition to other speakers, the German Ambassador Petra Drexler also spoke at the conference.