Minister of Defence Vlado Misajlovski today in Bratislava, Slovakia, together with other high-ranking guests, solemnly marked the opening of the International Defence and Security Technology Fair - IDEB, at which over 150 exhibitors from 16 countries presented new and modern military systems and equipment.
On the side-lines of the fair, Minister Misajlovski held two separate meetings with his counterpart and host, the Minister of Defence of Slovakia, Robert Kaliňák, and the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic, Jaromír Zůna. The meetings reaffirmed the mutual commitment for strengthening defence cooperation and enhancing the Alliance's defence and deterrence capabilities.
At the meeting with the Minister of Defence of Slovakia, Kaliňák, Misajlovski expressed his gratitude for the invitation to participate in the fair and on this occasion noted the positive outcome of the first session of the mixed Commission for Economic Cooperation between the two countries held in March, where several topics were covered in the domain of the defence,, such as the development of cooperation in the defence industry, modernization and equipping, strengthening joint training and exercises, as well as mutual exchange at the expert level.
Slovak Minister Kaliňák thanked the Macedonian delegation led by Minister Misajlovski for their participation in the International Fair in Bratislava and said that Macedonian-Slovak cooperation has strong potential and that its development can be a strong incentive for strengthening security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.
Close defence relations and mutual trust are an opportunity for further joint development of cooperation, and this was confirmed at the meeting with the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic, Jaromír Zůna. "The two countries have built close defence relations and mutual trust that allows us to take advantage of the full potential for joint development," emphasized Misajlovski at the meeting with Minister Zůna.
Misajlovski proposed the development of cooperation to be extended in several areas, including logistics, operational planning, as well as practical cooperation that can strengthen the contribution as part of the framework of the joint Alliance's operations and missions. The Minister also referred to the joint implementation of seminars, workshops and expert discussions, and as an essential element, stating that, cooperation in the field of the defence industry and technology transfer should also be taken into account.
Minister Zůna expressed his readiness to further intensify defence cooperation, considering that the capacities of both countries are an integral part of the Alliance's collective defence.
