The traditional pre-New Year’s activities of the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Ministry of Defence – reception of the families of Army members deployed in peace support operations abroad and distribution of New Year’s gift-packages to the children of the Army members took place in the “Strasho Pindzur” barracks in Petrovec this year.
Firstly, the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Vasko Gjurchinovski and the Minister of Defence, Slavjanka Petrovska, together with the families, held a video conference call with the Army members who are performing tasks in the operations in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Romania, Bulgaria, Lebanon, the Central African Republic and Iraq, followed by the distribution of New Year’s gift-packages to the children of the peacekeepers.
In addition to General Gjurchinovski and Minister Petrovska, the Commander of the Operations Command, Brigadier General Besnik Emini, the Commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade, Sashko Lafchiski, and the Commander of the Air Force Wing, Colonel Igorcho Stojmenovski, attended the event.
Тhe traditional ceremony of distribution of New Year’s gift-packages to the children of the fallen and deceased members of the Air Force Wing, as well as to the children of Army members from other commands and units and the Ministry of Defence started with the arrival of Santa Claus in an army helicopter.
225 children attended the event and had unforgettable moments of friendship and taking photos with the army Santa Claus, who symbolically arrived in a military transport helicopter, after which he gave the children New Year’s gift-packages.
The manifestation of the distribution of packages by the army Santa Claus, which is organized by the Air Force Wing, is traditionally held on the eve of the New Year holidays and is especially interesting for the youngest because of the symbolic arrival of Santa Claus in a military transport helicopter. Due to the epidemiological protection measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, this manifestation was not held in the past two years.
