The Day of the Army General Staff was marked at the “Ilinden” barracks in Skopje, in the presence of the Minister of Defence Vlado Misajlovski, the Chief of the Army General Staff Major General Sashko Lafchiski, generals in the Army and representatives from the Ministry of Defence.
Today’s commemoration, which took place as a sign of solidarity and compassion, began with a minute of silence to express deep respect for the victims of the fire in Kochani.
The Chief of the General Staff, Major General Sashko Lafchiski, in his address, recognized the members of the Army for their engagement in dealing with the consequences of the tragic event in Kochani. General Lafchiski emphasized that the General Staff is the backbone of the Army, guided by the principles of discipline, professionalism and dedication.
“In the past period, we have placed special emphasis on processes that are important for fulfilling national obligations and obligations arising from our NATO membership, thus creating the prerequisites for successfully completing the transformation, modernization and equipment process”, said General Lafchiski.
In his address, Minister Misajlovski spoke about the tragedy in Kochani and thanked the members of the Army who were involved in helping and supporting the institutions and citizens, and emphasized that as citizens of this country, struggling with feelings of sadness and regret, we are living one of the most difficult periods since our independence.
“Gratitude to all army members who, in these extremely difficult conditions, burdened by their own human empathy, have surpassed themselves and in this tragic time have engaged in the most professional manner in supporting the institutions”, said Minister Misajlovski and added that the Ministry and the General Staff continue to work with great dedication on the development and modernization of the Army, which will contribute to building resilience in our society, in the region and beyond.
The date of 28 March has a special significance for the Army, because on this day the General Staff started performing its functions, thus playing a key role in the establishment of the Army, an event that occurred 33 years ago, the day after the control of state territory was taken over and the last soldier from the Yugoslav National Army left. Today’s event represents the second official commemoration since the decision of the President of the country to designate days for commemorating commands and units of the Army.
