Skopje, 15 March 2023 (MIA) — The hybrid attacks, including the bomb threats sent to institutions, are meant to disturb peace and stability in the Balkans and to fuel uncertainty, fear and panic in the public, Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska said in a TV21 appearance Tuesday evening.

“The goal of hybrid wars and cyber attacks," Minister Petrovska said, "is to disturb social life, which they did, in fact. And obviously, when a society is distraught, this distress spills over into another sphere. Most often, the goal is to topple Western-oriented governments.”

She said this was perhaps the reason that North Macedonia and Montenegro were being targeted with bomb threats, adding it was one of the existing theories explaining cyber attacks.

Petrovska pointed out that state institutions needed to strengthen cyber defense through investing financial resources in cybersecurity capacity building.

“Every challenge we face is testing the readiness of our institutions,” the defense minister said.

“We need to seriously invest in improving institutional capacities. The Ministry of Defense is a positive example, but there are many other institutions also taking steps to build these capacities.”

Asked about the recent visit of NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General James Appathurai, she said they discussed both political and professional matters, assessing the country’s institutional capacities. mr/