The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania, Major General Arben Kingji, who is on an official visit to the Republic of North Macedonia, met the General Staff of the Army and the Ministry of Defense today.
After being welcomed with military honors, General Kingji had meetings with his host, the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Vasko Gjurchinovski and with the Deputy Minister of Defense, Tiron Jajaga.
During the meeting, Generals Gjurchinovski and Kingji discussed the cooperation between the two neighboring countries and NATO allies’ armies. It was concluded that the bilateral inter-army cooperation, which is continuously at a high level, contributes to the security and stability in the region and beyond.
General Gjurchinovski informed his colleague about the current transformation in the Army, as well as the upcoming planned activities related to the fulfillment of NATO’s capability goals. At the same time, they discussed the activities and operations of NATO in which the two countries participate, the possibilities for further cooperation by using the training facilities, military education, as well as the cooperation on the operational level by performing joint exercise activities.
General Gjurchinovski stressed that the previous forms of cooperation, the achieved mutual interoperability, joint participation in NATO activities and operations and the membership in several security initiatives contribute to strengthening security in the region and beyond.
At the meeting with General Kingji, the Deputy Minister of Defense, Tiron Jajaga, said that these meetings at the highest level are an excellent opportunity to strengthen the cooperation and reaffirm the strong friendship and alliance between North Macedonia and Albania.
“Our bilateral defence cooperation is at the highest level. Both countries are aimed at strengthening peace and security in the region, both through active participation in regional initiatives such as the A5, SEDM, the South-Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG), but also through our contribution to missions and operations such as KFOR and the EUFOR-led ALTHEA. North Macedonia will continue to support Ukraine, which has the right to defend its independence and sovereignty from the Russian aggression”, said Deputy Minister Jajaga.
The Deputy Minister on behalf of the Ministry and Minister Petrovska thanked the Chief of the Albanian Armed Forces for the visit to the allied North Macedonia and expressed his expectation that, the Bilateral Cooperation Plan for 2024 will be signed, as it was signed in 2023, which will serve as a catalyst to develop the interoperability, capabilities and skills of the members of the two allied armies.
During the meetings, General Kingi emphasized the mutual military cooperation as an example of alliance, and that he will always strive to find new opportunities to improve it.
“It is really a pleasure to be in North Macedonia, with which we have an extremely fruitful cooperation. We share the same perspectives on the region and the same views as allies in NATO. I’m glad that we discussed regional cooperation, especially in the context of crisis management,” said Kingji.
After visiting the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense, General Kingji will have a meeting with the President of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Stevo Pendarovski.
The delegation of the Albanian Armed Forces will have the opportunity to attend the joint New Year’s Eve concert of the military orchestras of the Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Albania, the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Croatia.
During the visit, General Kingji also toured the Operations Command, where he met with the commander, Brigadier General Besnik Emini, and in the “Kuzman Josifovski Pitu” barracks in Tetovo, he got acquainted with some of the Army’s activities, the transformation process, as well as the participation in operations in the country and abroad.
The Army of the Republic of North Macedonia has been cooperating with the armed forces of the Republic of Albania since 1998, when the Cooperation Agreement was signed. In addition to the bilateral cooperation, the two countries also cooperate within the framework of regional initiatives such as the U.S. – Adriatic Charter (A5), the B-9 Forum, the SEDM initiative and the South-Eastern Europe Brigade – SEEBRIG, the RACVIAC Centre for Security Cooperation and the Balkan Medical Task Force.
