North Macedonia today marked the fifth anniversary of its NATO membership with a ceremony.
On the occasion of the anniversary of its membership in the military alliance, a ceremony was held at the “Ilinden” barracks in Skopje, at which the President and Supreme Commander of the Land Forces, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, said that investing in the Alliance is also investing in the army, “in the bulwark of the territorial integrity and independence of our Republic”.
She believes that the geopolitical crisis the world is going through makes it necessary to invest more in defense and advanced technologies.
“Therefore, as a state, we must invest in the defense and security of Macedonia. We will continue to contribute to peace through participation in peacekeeping missions led by NATO and the United Nations”, said Siljanovska-Davkova.
Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Major General Adchit Hristijan, emphasized that the anniversary of the country’s membership in NATO not only demonstrates the country’s commitment to collective security, but also reflects the country’s unwavering commitment to democratic values, freedom and stability.
“Five years ago, we fulfilled one of our most important strategic goals,” said Lafčiski, noting that the path to NATO membership was not easy.
NATO is not only a military-political alliance and an organization that protects the external borders of its member states, but is “an alliance that, despite all the different views on many topics, has one common essence – caring for each other,” believes Defense Minister Vlado Misajlovski.
During the ceremony, medals for participation in the mission were also awarded, and a military exercise was held.
A minute of silence was also held in honor of the victims of the fire in Kočani on March 16, in which 59 people died.
The Accession Protocol between NATO and North Macedonia was signed on 6 February 2019. North Macedonia became the 30th member of NATO on 27 March 2020.
