As part of his first official visit to the Republic of Macedonia and the Army of the Republic of Macedonia, the United States Army Europe Commander, Lieutenant General Christopher Cavoli held meetings with the Minister of Defence Radmila Shekerinska and the Chief of GS, Major General Vasko Gjurchinovski at the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff of the ARM.
After the reception, General Cavoli had a meeting with the Minister Shekerinska, which was also attended by the US Ambassador Jess Baily.
During the meeting, they reaffirmed the traditionally good relations between the two armies and the mutual pleasure for the cooperation in the area of defence. The Minister expressed her gratitude for the continuous support by the USA and pointed out the importance of the strategic partnership between the two countries which will continue with the alliance in NATO, where Macedonia will soon become a member.
At the meeting, Generals Gjurchinovski and Cavoli discussed the mutual cooperation and participation in the upcoming mutual activities of the ARM and the United States Army Europe Command.
General Gjurchinovski also expressed his gratitude for the 25-year excellent cooperation between the ARM and the United States Armed Forces as our strategic partner, pointing out the importance of the continuous support by carrying out mutual training and exercises led by this command, as well as the achieved level of competence of the ARM according to the NATO standards.
As an example of the excellent cooperation in this area, they mentioned the upcoming exercise “Decisive Strike” which will be the biggest international exercise in the Republic of Macedonia so far. They also pointed out the contribution of the ARM in the peace missions after we increased the level of participation last year, as well as the further plans for our participation.
General Christopher Cavoli expressed his content about the meetings with the Minister Shekerinska and General Gjurchinovski and said: “The excellent partnership between out armies has lasted for many years – beginning with our cooperation in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as The State Partnership Program with the Vermont Army National Guard dating back to 1993. The participation and implementation of the demanding and real training sessions with the allied and partner armies give opportunity to the soldiers of our two countries to improve their readiness and interoperability, as well as to achieve new skill and ideas. We are dedicated to continue this great partnership and together, we will stay determined and transparent in our goals to resolve conflicts and to maintain the peace in Europe.
At a meeting which was attended by part of the key personnel of the ARM, General Cavoli was introduced to the current process of transformation of the ARM, as well as to the details about the participation of the ARM in the mutual exercises in 2019. As part of the cooperation, they also mentioned the fact that this year, more than 1000 members of the ARM will take part in 10 joint international exercises led by United States Army Europe.
Besides the exercise “Resolute Strike”, one of the more important activities of the ARM with the United States Army Europe Command is also the exercise “Saber Junction” in Germany.
