N. Macedonia's Army is top diplomat in country's establishment in Euro-Atlantic security zone, says former minister
Skopje, 18 August 2022 (MIA) - Current developments worldwide in this period of geopolitical tensions and war conflicts have proven the necessity of having a credible Army and being in NATO, which today are considered a stabilizing factor for the Republic of North Macedonia, former defense minister Trajan Gocevski says in an interview with MIA.
Thursday marks 30 years since the establishment of the Army. On February 14, 1992, the Law on Defense of independent the Republic of Macedonia was adopted paving the way for the formation of the Macedonian army during the tenure of Trajan Gocevski, who served as the first defense minister since the declaration of independence. He is now a member of the Security Council of the Republic of North Macedonia.
Professor Gocevski, 30 years have passed since the establishment of the Army, what are your thoughts on the current, but also the future steps, that the country should take in order for the Army to preserve its high reputation at home, but also on the international stage?
30 years have passed since the establishment of the Army of North Macedonia, a time worthy of respect and analysis of what has been achieved thus far. On that occasion, I send my most sincere congratulations to all members of the Army and their families, who guaranteed the independence of the country three decades ago with their sacrifice, and who for three decades have been working towards the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, as well as maintaining regional and international peace and security.
We have had a solid three-decade experience during which, as an independent and sovereign country, we have had our own Army, for the first time in our recent history. And that is no small feat. The dream of having a country and an Army of their own has lived through numerous generations of Macedonians for centuries. Perhaps slowly, but for three decades, we have been steadily establishing ourselves as a country in the troubled Balkans. This is a fact which should be respected.
When it comes to the Army of North Macedonia, without any modesty I will say that it has achieved a lot during this period. Today, after three decades our Army is a part of the military structure of NATO which unites the armies of the 30 most developed countries of the Euro-Atlantic zone, with over a billion inhabitants.
The Army of North Macedonia is a part of the most powerful and most successful political and military Alliance that the world has ever known. It is my great honor to salute all veterans of the Macedonian defense, soldiers, officers, generals, chiefs of the General Staff, ministers of defense and of course the supreme commanders – the presidents of the country, who were entrusted with the highest task that anyone can have in one country, that is – the defense of their country. To preserve that which is most sacred to the people – the sovereignty, the territorial integrity and the independence of the Macedonian nation.
Exactly three decades ago, with its newly established Army, Macedonia took control of its entire territory, which is a key feature of a sovereign country. Our public does not know this in detail, so it is often overlooked. This important moment for Macedonia, the establishment of its Army, was preceded by key processes and events of strategic importance, in a wider context, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia from which thanks to the great skill of the state leadership at the time and with the help of our strategic friends, we managed to get away by avoiding war, the independence referendum on September 8, the Constitution of November 1991 and finally the Defense Law of February 14, 1992, which created the legal framework for the establishment of the Army.
During those perilous times, when on the territory of the former Yugoslav federation, which we were a part of, armed conflicts were raging with shelled cities, thousands of civilian victims and hundreds of thousands of refugees, with economic embargoes and political blockades, we began the battle for our greater international establishment, and the condition for that was to remove the Yugoslav National Army (YNA), as a foreign army, from Macedonia and for the country to establish its own army.
In such complex conditions, the state leadership back then managed to achieve political and military independence in a peaceful way. We were ready to protect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity under any circumstances, but not in a military scenario. We were aware that such a scenario could put an end to our independence. And there were many such scenarios. One was the opening of the so-called Southern Front, the other was ‘a state cannot be formed without blood so let’s start a war with YNA’ scenario, then there was an idea to establish a monoethnic Macedonian Guard instead of the Army etc. All those scenarios, if we were to accept them, would have been disastrous for our Republic.
At the very beginning, we recognized that NATO integration was of vital interest for our national defense and security, as the most important collective defense and security system in recent world history. However, at the same time, we realized that it is an alliance of democratic nations, which believe in and practice the same set of values, which are also important to us as a country.
It is of extreme importance that this strategic goal was supposed by a vast majority of the citizens of Macedonia, as well as all the relevant political factors, leading to the successful realization of the idea. After three decades North Macedonia and our Army became equal members of this prestigious club of 30 countries – NATO. That is the big picture for us.
What are all the challenges that the country and the Army have faced in these 30 years?
The list of challenges that the country and Army have gone through is long. That has been our fate for centuries. It is nothing new. But, our current position as a country is very different from before. We are a part of the UN and of the Euro-Atlantic security structure. Those who have malicious plans for the country should be well aware of this. Today the entire territory of North Macedonia is a part of NATO.
The most important of all is the fact that today we have our own independent and sovereign country, a centuries-old ideal of the Macedonian people and all other people living in the country. Where are we now? Well, the country is a member of the UN and other international organizations, of NATO, we are a country which began its negotiations with the EU, we are building a system of parliamentary democracy, developing a functional market economy, we have our own Academy of Sciences, universities, schools, our own system of national security, our own Army, our own diplomatic network, we have all state institutions, we have our own Church.
We need to continue to develop all institutions in a worthy manner, and thus develop the state itself and its resistance to the new security challenges. This is our task and no one from outside the country can solve it for us.
All citizens should invest a part of themselves for the country, and every political subject should have the state and the national interest as their primary strategic goal, and only after that the party and personal interests should come in. Then we will have a stable and prosperous country. And most importantly, a country of our own.
As for the Army, in the past 30 years it has managed to transform into a modern and respectable institution, a part of the Euro-Atlantic security zone. A great feat of the Army and of course, a great responsibility as well. We began modestly, with the capacities we had in the Territorial Defense of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and with the potential and the people from Macedonia who served in the YNA. We were also aided by the strong will of the citizens, founded on the traditions of freedom inherited from the Ilinden revolutionaries and the Anti-fascist partisans. We would not have succeeded, without that great support.
After that, the modernization of the Army was carried out in accordance with the standards of the Alliance, catching up with the latest trends in defense. The state also invested in the education of the general staff, which is the strength and the basis for the development of every Army. A great number of our officers graduated from national defense schools in NATO member countries.
Of course, the biggest contribution in that sense was made by the ‘General Mihaljo Aposolski’ Military Academy, as a modern higher education institution that created the core of the Army’s personnel.
The Army gained experience and maintained its combat fitness in numerous international military exercises and by actively participating in several peacekeeping missions led by NATO, the European Union, the United Nations and our strategic partners on a bilateral basis.
In the past 20 years our soldiers contributed and are still contributing to the security in various parts of the world through their participation in the ISAF mission, ‘Iraqi Freedom’ mission, Althea, UNIFIL, and KFOR.
This has strengthened our international credibility because we began to be perceived as a country generating stability in the wider region. Throughout this entire 30-year period, the Army has also been engaged in the key challenges that the country went through, such as the 1999 Kosovo crisis, the 2001 insurrection, and the 2015 migrant crisis.
The Army joined and offered support during various crisis and emergency situations as well, from dealing with national disasters and fires, to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Of great importance to increasing the Army’s credibility and the citizens’ trust in it was the process that we began in 2001 for greater inclusion of other ethnic communities, as well as women, in the Army’s ranks.
The inclusion of members of different groups from our society, as well as women, only strengthens the Army’s internal cohesion and potential, thus making sure it performs its constitutional and legal obligations with even greater success.
How would you assess the current political and military situation and how does it differ from what we faced three decades ago?
“These are very tragic times. As was the case 30 years ago, now Europe and the world have again entered a period of great uncertainty. There is a war in Europe. There are threats and risks of the highest degree. There is the potential use of nuclear weapons as one of the biggest absurdities in the new age we live in. The pandemic is still here, which in addition to the health crisis had economic and social consequences as well. Now with the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the security situation has also simultaneously become an economic and refugee and humanitarian and energy crisis.
Therefore, the current situation is very complex in every sense. We have made many strategic decisions in our recent history. They have been difficult and risky. One of them was the decision for the establishment of the Army. The best decisions, which have had a broad cross-party and social consensus for three decades, have been the establishment of the Army and our commitment to our European and Euro-Atlantic orientation and the strategic partnership with the United States.
This period of great geopolitical tensions and military conflicts shows just how necessary a credible Army and NATO membership are, today they represent an important stabilizing factor in North Macedonia. As a NATO member we help defend the democratic values of the free world, peace and stability. We are prepared not to allow any indirect influences, and even less so direct involvements of third parties in our country and we are determined to persevere on that path. When was Macedonia able to do this in the past?
Compared to the beginning, in terms of numbers we now have a smaller but far more effective and professional Army, which is better equipped and ready to deal with the new threats and the asymmetric and hybrid threats of the 21st century.
The classic traditional military threats remain as well, however, the new era creates new security challenges that we mustn’t ignore. We are aware of the danger of disinformation, fake news and political propaganda which aims to destabilize democracy as a system. To be ready to face both the traditional and the new threats we need to continue to invest in defense and in the national security system as a whole. As a country we need to continue the defense reforms, the modernization and equipping and strengthening of our security system, especially when it comes to making it resistant to hybrid and cyber threats and in the fight with fake news and disinformation. We should also continue to contribute to collective security and defense by participating in peacekeeping missions, together with our NATO allies.
What happens next in terms of development of the Army?
After three decades of development and transformations, I believe that now is the time to really turn towards the future. According to my knowledge and extensive experience in this field, we need national unity to steer the course towards investing in the development of the national security system and especially in the Army. This should be a long-term and well-grounded process, which should address several strategic questions of vital importance to our national security and defense.
First of all, it is of highest importance to maintain the necessary combat readiness of our Army in the long run, regardless of which political subjects are in power. To achieve that goal, we need a stable system of financing for the Army, in the short, medium and long-term. And to achieve this, constant investment in the Army is necessary, without inconsistency, as we have had in the past three decades. The modernization of the Army is also essential, without delays and with consistency, in the medium-term, but also in the long-term. A replacement and permanent technological improvement of the combat equipment and the combat systems of the Army is necessary as well.
This policy must be supported by all political and state structures, as is the case in all NATO countries, because the modernization of the Army is not an issue you solve overnight. Even if the money is there, the Army’s readiness cannot be achieved in one, two or three years. It is simply a long-term and permanent process that must be supported by the country.
Additionally, we must secure stable and increased financing of the Army in accordance with the planning, programming and budgeting system and the conclusions of the NATO Summit in Cardiff, of a minimum of two percent of the GDP.
In order to make up for the lost time and the lost fitness of the Army, we need the financing of the Army to increase by an additional percent, at least over a medium-term period, these funds should only be directed towards the modernization of the Army. That would be the first step steering the Army in the desired direction.
It is also necessary to increase the quality of the human potential in the Army, in accordance with the security assessments of the risks and challenges that the Army would face in the future.
We must reassess these risks and challenges, and equip and prepare the Army to better deal with them. And we have had many such challenges. The refugee crisis, wildfires, health crisis, asymmetrical threats, cyber threats, protection of critical infrastructure etc. they all point out the need for better readiness.
Because of that we need to specify the new missions of the Army internally, for which is it necessary to improve the basic crisis management documents of the country. Of course, there is also the participation in NATO missions, EU missions and UN missions. We also have to fill, equip and prepare the declared units within NATO, in order to remain a serious member. Regarding future Army missions I think it is necessary to make a complete and in-depth analysis of the situation, and based on that analysis, reassess the direction of future development and modernization of the Army.
Although the health and energy crisis are pushing for a different allocation of budget funds, we must remain committed to defense and security investments, because they are the basis of the functioning of all other social sectors.
I will mention just a few examples from the last few years, when it was shown that defense investment means better dealing with difficult situations in completely different areas. We all witnessed the engagement of the Army during the biggest peaks of the pandemic, when parts of the army units were engaged in support of health and other institutions. Or the participation of the Army in dealing with the wildfires last summer. Then there is also the participation of the Army in dealing with the refugee crisis. NATO membership helps us better deal with the old, but also with the new security threats, but we must fulfill our obligations to the development and equipping of our Army. This is of essential importance above all for the security of our citizens, and then for collective defense, which is also of crucial importance to our security and stability in the long-term.
The next big reform, which is already being carried out in the western systems in the area of defense, security and intelligence systems, is aimed at dealing with the hybrid and cyber threats and their most pervasive aspect – the disinformation, space defense, protection of critical infrastructure and protection of information systems in all areas, all of this will not pass us by.
In the future, focusing investments towards the modernization and equipping of the Army must move in that direction, because by strengthening our defense capabilities we contribute to greater safety and security for our society as a whole, and its ability to resist new threats, risks and challenges.
Is the strategic partnership with the US leading us in that direction?
I believe that the strategic partnership with the US is the most important tool for the development and modernization of the Army of North Macedonia, both in the past and in the future.
The cooperation of our Army with the US Army is built on a three-decade tradition and is constantly improving, it contributed to the high rating of our Army both domestically and abroad. That is an indisputable fact. However, after joining NATO and after the military integration of our Army within the NATO structures, and in the context of the current geopolitical and military strategic situation, the Army must continue to prepare, develop, modernize and advance technologically.
This is why the modernization of the Army is crucial within the Strategic Dialogue with the US. The Army must maintain and improve its combat readiness, interoperability and its involvement in NATO missions.
In that sense, the Strategic Dialogue underlines the commitment of both armies to organize joint exercises and training, which is the best way for our Army to achieve complete and consistent readiness. In that area, the activities will intensify even more.
The modernization and equipping of the Army have become an imperative of the time. Because of this, additional financial support from the US for modernization has been announced.
The current security situation in Europe, requires that we have an even closer and deeper cooperation with the US, in order to safeguard the peace, security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region.
The integration processes in the Balkans are showing results, North Macedonia’s NATO membership had a strong stabilizing effect on the region, which is especially evident now in the current security situation.
The efforts to develop the Army’s capacities, with the aid of the US, are exemplary, and can be seen through the investment in new equipment in accordance with the Alliance’s standards. It has also become evident just how important the Krivolak military training ground is, which with the help of the US will continue to develop in the future as well.
As part of the strategic dialogue with the US in terms of defense, there were also talks about improving cyber-security, and the danger of hybrid threats, including disinformation, was emphasized. We are already developing our capacities for dealing with disinformation, with American support.
Professor Gocevski, in the end, could you describe our Army in a couple of words?
That is a difficult task, but the 30-year anniversary of our Army challenges me to do it. This is how I would do it. A stabilizer of the proclaimed independence of our country, since the referendum on September 8, 1991. A reliable shoulder which the country and the citizens can lean on during any risks, a cohesive factor in Macedonian society, a corridor which steadily and persistently led the country to the Euro-Atlantic Alliance, a diplomat of the highest rank in the security establishment of North Macedonia within the Euro-Atlantic security zone, a contributor to the preservation of regional and international peace and security, through the many successful international peacekeeping missions, the most trusted institution domestically and the most desired partner abroad.
Happy 30th anniversary. Long live the motherland, long live the Army.
Ana Cvetkovska
Translated by Angel Dimoski
Photos from MIA's archive and Trajan Gocevski's private archive
What are all the challenges that the country and the Army have faced in these 30 years?
The list of challenges that the country and Army have gone through is long. That has been our fate for centuries. It is nothing new. But, our current position as a country is very different from before. We are a part of the UN and of the Euro-Atlantic security structure. Those who have malicious plans for the country should be well aware of this. Today the entire territory of North Macedonia is a part of NATO.
The most important of all is the fact that today we have our own independent and sovereign country, a centuries-old ideal of the Macedonian people and all other people living in the country. Where are we now? Well, the country is a member of the UN and other international organizations, of NATO, we are a country which began its negotiations with the EU, we are building a system of parliamentary democracy, developing a functional market economy, we have our own Academy of Sciences, universities, schools, our own system of national security, our own Army, our own diplomatic network, we have all state institutions, we have our own Church.
We need to continue to develop all institutions in a worthy manner, and thus develop the state itself and its resistance to the new security challenges. This is our task and no one from outside the country can solve it for us.
All citizens should invest a part of themselves for the country, and every political subject should have the state and the national interest as their primary strategic goal, and only after that the party and personal interests should come in. Then we will have a stable and prosperous country. And most importantly, a country of our own.
As for the Army, in the past 30 years it has managed to transform into a modern and respectable institution, a part of the Euro-Atlantic security zone. A great feat of the Army and of course, a great responsibility as well. We began modestly, with the capacities we had in the Territorial Defense of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and with the potential and the people from Macedonia who served in the YNA. We were also aided by the strong will of the citizens, founded on the traditions of freedom inherited from the Ilinden revolutionaries and the Anti-fascist partisans. We would not have succeeded, without that great support.
After that, the modernization of the Army was carried out in accordance with the standards of the Alliance, catching up with the latest trends in defense. The state also invested in the education of the general staff, which is the strength and the basis for the development of every Army. A great number of our officers graduated from national defense schools in NATO member countries.
Of course, the biggest contribution in that sense was made by the ‘General Mihaljo Aposolski’ Military Academy, as a modern higher education institution that created the core of the Army’s personnel.
The Army gained experience and maintained its combat fitness in numerous international military exercises and by actively participating in several peacekeeping missions led by NATO, the European Union, the United Nations and our strategic partners on a bilateral basis.
In the past 20 years our soldiers contributed and are still contributing to the security in various parts of the world through their participation in the ISAF mission, ‘Iraqi Freedom’ mission, Althea, UNIFIL, and KFOR.
This has strengthened our international credibility because we began to be perceived as a country generating stability in the wider region. Throughout this entire 30-year period, the Army has also been engaged in the key challenges that the country went through, such as the 1999 Kosovo crisis, the 2001 insurrection, and the 2015 migrant crisis.
The Army joined and offered support during various crisis and emergency situations as well, from dealing with national disasters and fires, to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Of great importance to increasing the Army’s credibility and the citizens’ trust in it was the process that we began in 2001 for greater inclusion of other ethnic communities, as well as women, in the Army’s ranks.
The inclusion of members of different groups from our society, as well as women, only strengthens the Army’s internal cohesion and potential, thus making sure it performs its constitutional and legal obligations with even greater success.
How would you assess the current political and military situation and how does it differ from what we faced three decades ago?
“These are very tragic times. As was the case 30 years ago, now Europe and the world have again entered a period of great uncertainty. There is a war in Europe. There are threats and risks of the highest degree. There is the potential use of nuclear weapons as one of the biggest absurdities in the new age we live in. The pandemic is still here, which in addition to the health crisis had economic and social consequences as well. Now with the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the security situation has also simultaneously become an economic and refugee and humanitarian and energy crisis.
Therefore, the current situation is very complex in every sense. We have made many strategic decisions in our recent history. They have been difficult and risky. One of them was the decision for the establishment of the Army. The best decisions, which have had a broad cross-party and social consensus for three decades, have been the establishment of the Army and our commitment to our European and Euro-Atlantic orientation and the strategic partnership with the United States.
This period of great geopolitical tensions and military conflicts shows just how necessary a credible Army and NATO membership are, today they represent an important stabilizing factor in North Macedonia. As a NATO member we help defend the democratic values of the free world, peace and stability. We are prepared not to allow any indirect influences, and even less so direct involvements of third parties in our country and we are determined to persevere on that path. When was Macedonia able to do this in the past?
Compared to the beginning, in terms of numbers we now have a smaller but far more effective and professional Army, which is better equipped and ready to deal with the new threats and the asymmetric and hybrid threats of the 21st century.
The classic traditional military threats remain as well, however, the new era creates new security challenges that we mustn’t ignore. We are aware of the danger of disinformation, fake news and political propaganda which aims to destabilize democracy as a system. To be ready to face both the traditional and the new threats we need to continue to invest in defense and in the national security system as a whole. As a country we need to continue the defense reforms, the modernization and equipping and strengthening of our security system, especially when it comes to making it resistant to hybrid and cyber threats and in the fight with fake news and disinformation. We should also continue to contribute to collective security and defense by participating in peacekeeping missions, together with our NATO allies.
What happens next in terms of development of the Army?
After three decades of development and transformations, I believe that now is the time to really turn towards the future. According to my knowledge and extensive experience in this field, we need national unity to steer the course towards investing in the development of the national security system and especially in the Army. This should be a long-term and well-grounded process, which should address several strategic questions of vital importance to our national security and defense.
First of all, it is of highest importance to maintain the necessary combat readiness of our Army in the long run, regardless of which political subjects are in power. To achieve that goal, we need a stable system of financing for the Army, in the short, medium and long-term. And to achieve this, constant investment in the Army is necessary, without inconsistency, as we have had in the past three decades. The modernization of the Army is also essential, without delays and with consistency, in the medium-term, but also in the long-term. A replacement and permanent technological improvement of the combat equipment and the combat systems of the Army is necessary as well.
This policy must be supported by all political and state structures, as is the case in all NATO countries, because the modernization of the Army is not an issue you solve overnight. Even if the money is there, the Army’s readiness cannot be achieved in one, two or three years. It is simply a long-term and permanent process that must be supported by the country.
Additionally, we must secure stable and increased financing of the Army in accordance with the planning, programming and budgeting system and the conclusions of the NATO Summit in Cardiff, of a minimum of two percent of the GDP.
In order to make up for the lost time and the lost fitness of the Army, we need the financing of the Army to increase by an additional percent, at least over a medium-term period, these funds should only be directed towards the modernization of the Army. That would be the first step steering the Army in the desired direction.
It is also necessary to increase the quality of the human potential in the Army, in accordance with the security assessments of the risks and challenges that the Army would face in the future.
We must reassess these risks and challenges, and equip and prepare the Army to better deal with them. And we have had many such challenges. The refugee crisis, wildfires, health crisis, asymmetrical threats, cyber threats, protection of critical infrastructure etc. they all point out the need for better readiness.
Because of that we need to specify the new missions of the Army internally, for which is it necessary to improve the basic crisis management documents of the country. Of course, there is also the participation in NATO missions, EU missions and UN missions. We also have to fill, equip and prepare the declared units within NATO, in order to remain a serious member. Regarding future Army missions I think it is necessary to make a complete and in-depth analysis of the situation, and based on that analysis, reassess the direction of future development and modernization of the Army.
Although the health and energy crisis are pushing for a different allocation of budget funds, we must remain committed to defense and security investments, because they are the basis of the functioning of all other social sectors.
I will mention just a few examples from the last few years, when it was shown that defense investment means better dealing with difficult situations in completely different areas. We all witnessed the engagement of the Army during the biggest peaks of the pandemic, when parts of the army units were engaged in support of health and other institutions. Or the participation of the Army in dealing with the wildfires last summer. Then there is also the participation of the Army in dealing with the refugee crisis. NATO membership helps us better deal with the old, but also with the new security threats, but we must fulfill our obligations to the development and equipping of our Army. This is of essential importance above all for the security of our citizens, and then for collective defense, which is also of crucial importance to our security and stability in the long-term.
The next big reform, which is already being carried out in the western systems in the area of defense, security and intelligence systems, is aimed at dealing with the hybrid and cyber threats and their most pervasive aspect – the disinformation, space defense, protection of critical infrastructure and protection of information systems in all areas, all of this will not pass us by.
In the future, focusing investments towards the modernization and equipping of the Army must move in that direction, because by strengthening our defense capabilities we contribute to greater safety and security for our society as a whole, and its ability to resist new threats, risks and challenges.
Is the strategic partnership with the US leading us in that direction?
I believe that the strategic partnership with the US is the most important tool for the development and modernization of the Army of North Macedonia, both in the past and in the future.
The cooperation of our Army with the US Army is built on a three-decade tradition and is constantly improving, it contributed to the high rating of our Army both domestically and abroad. That is an indisputable fact. However, after joining NATO and after the military integration of our Army within the NATO structures, and in the context of the current geopolitical and military strategic situation, the Army must continue to prepare, develop, modernize and advance technologically.
This is why the modernization of the Army is crucial within the Strategic Dialogue with the US. The Army must maintain and improve its combat readiness, interoperability and its involvement in NATO missions.
In that sense, the Strategic Dialogue underlines the commitment of both armies to organize joint exercises and training, which is the best way for our Army to achieve complete and consistent readiness. In that area, the activities will intensify even more.
The modernization and equipping of the Army have become an imperative of the time. Because of this, additional financial support from the US for modernization has been announced.
The current security situation in Europe, requires that we have an even closer and deeper cooperation with the US, in order to safeguard the peace, security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region.
The integration processes in the Balkans are showing results, North Macedonia’s NATO membership had a strong stabilizing effect on the region, which is especially evident now in the current security situation.
The efforts to develop the Army’s capacities, with the aid of the US, are exemplary, and can be seen through the investment in new equipment in accordance with the Alliance’s standards. It has also become evident just how important the Krivolak military training ground is, which with the help of the US will continue to develop in the future as well.
As part of the strategic dialogue with the US in terms of defense, there were also talks about improving cyber-security, and the danger of hybrid threats, including disinformation, was emphasized. We are already developing our capacities for dealing with disinformation, with American support.
Professor Gocevski, in the end, could you describe our Army in a couple of words?
That is a difficult task, but the 30-year anniversary of our Army challenges me to do it. This is how I would do it. A stabilizer of the proclaimed independence of our country, since the referendum on September 8, 1991. A reliable shoulder which the country and the citizens can lean on during any risks, a cohesive factor in Macedonian society, a corridor which steadily and persistently led the country to the Euro-Atlantic Alliance, a diplomat of the highest rank in the security establishment of North Macedonia within the Euro-Atlantic security zone, a contributor to the preservation of regional and international peace and security, through the many successful international peacekeeping missions, the most trusted institution domestically and the most desired partner abroad.
Happy 30th anniversary. Long live the motherland, long live the Army.
Ana Cvetkovska
Translated by Angel Dimoski
Photos from MIA's archive and Trajan Gocevski's private archive
