The donation of seventy-six vehicles from the Kingdom of Norway was officially handed over to the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia at a ceremony held in Ilinden Barracks in Skopje.
At the ceremony, where the received 76 vehicles were exhibited, the Minister of Defense Slavjanka Petrovska, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway for North Macedonia, Christine Melsom, the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Vasko Gjurchinovski and the Logistics Commander of the Kingdom of Norway Armed Forces, Brigadier General Andres Jernberg, spoke about the importance of this donation.
The Minister of Defense, Slavjanka Petrovska, in her address, emphasized that today’s event best reflects the strong alliance between North Macedonia and the Kingdom of Norway and that defense cooperation is an example of allied cooperation and support that strengthens the Army of North Macedonia, while also strengthening peace, security and stability of the Alliance.
“This Norwegian donation of 76 vehicles will significantly contribute to increasing the transport capabilities of the Army units, that is, their combat readiness. I, as a minister, as well as the members of the Army and the citizens of this country, are grateful for your donation, which comes at the right moment and will enable a significant increase in the capacities of the units of our Army to perform their tasks, which will directly affect the combat readiness of the declared units at the upcoming assessment,” Petrovska said.
The minister pointed out that Norway is a valued, dedicated and proven friend of North Macedonia, and the areas in which cooperation and support in capacity building, especially in the context of NATO’s capability goals, have been established are numerous. “Together we are stronger, and by supporting each other as allies and friends, we can build a more secure future for the generations to come,” Minister Petrovska said.
Addressing the audience, Ambassador Melsom emphasized that mutual diplomatic relations, which have been continuously improving for the last 30 years, have strengthened even more in military cooperation in recent years, especially after the admission of North Macedonia to NATO and the commitment we show towards fulfilling the values of the Alliance.
“We see not only the military equipment that you have given to Ukraine, but also the increased number of troops that you have deployed in various missions. Your goal of deploying 10% of your army structure is impressive. We see this in action with your contributions to EU missions, NATO missions, KFOR in the Republic of Kosovo, participation in enhanced Vigilance Activities in Romania and Bulgaria, enhanced Forward Presence in Latvia and the UN mission in Lebanon. All this confirms that you work just like everyone else in the Alliance and Norway is proud to call you both an ally and a friend,” Ambassador Melsom noted.
General Jernberg considered that this day has a historical significance as it marks the largest donation of military equipment that the Kingdom of Norway has made to a Western Balkans country. In doing so, he emphasized that what he has noticed in the mutual conversations with our army representatives that although our countries, as well as the army commands and military organization are different, we have a common logistical approach and that through bilateral cooperation when it comes to providing support enables mutually efficient, effective and more sustainable military logistics.
The Chief of the General Staff, General Gjurchinovski, expressed his gratitude to the Kingdom of Norway, while highlighting the importance of this donation for enhancing the army’s capacities by significantly improving the mobility of the units in fulfilling the tasks ahead. At the same time, speaking about the mutual bilateral cooperation that the Army has at the level of Chiefs Defense, he highlighted the support from his colleague General Erik Kristofferson and the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Norway, who have recognized our contribution and support that we provide together with our NATO allies for Ukraine. Speaking about the importance of the donation, he said that it is one of the largest donations our Army has received. Besides improving Army combat readiness, the citizens and institutions of the country will benefit, which he values as one of his greatest achievements serving as the Chief of the General Staff.
The seventy-six vehicles, of which 36 are light infantry, Mercedes Benz 290 GD and 40 cargo trucks, Scania P3, are the last of the numerous projects of the excellent cooperation in the defense sphere between the Republic of North Macedonia and the Kingdom of Norway. The donation was initiated at the end of 2022, at one of the meetings between the Chiefs of Defense of the two Armies, Generals Gjurchinovski and General Kristoffersen, who talked about the importance of Army mobility and the expressed need to strengthen transport capacities resulted in selfless support by the Kingdom of Norway.
According to the implementation plan, at the beginning of this year, a team of army maintenance specialists had training in the Kingdom of Norway to familiarize themselves with the vehicles and how to maintain them. Already in March, they were delivered by sea to the port of Thessaloniki, and then transported to Ilinden on the 18 and 19 the same month.
The vehicles will be distributed to the Army units, which will not only increase their transport capabilities and mobility, but also significantly increase the capacities to conduct the tasks.
In the current period, the support from the Kingdom of Norway in defense is realized in several ways, among which the most significant are: the donation of Role 2 Field Hospital, expert assistance and advice, support to the Regional Public Relations Center, the regional project for advanced distance learning, medical consumables for the field hospital, the donation of musical instruments to the military orchestra and more. There was also joint participation in the ISAF operation and Resolute Support in Afghanistan, where our surgical teams participated in the composition of the Norwegian Field Hospital Role 2.
