The Chief of General Staff (GS) of the Armed Forces (AF) of Hungary, Lieutenant General Romulusz Ruszin-Szendy, who is on a two-day official visit to the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia, visited the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense today.
After being welcomed with military honors by the Army Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Vasko Gjurchinovski, General Szendy held a meeting with his host and the Minister of Defense, Radmila Shekerinska.
At the meeting, Generals Gjurchinovski and Szendy discussed the possibilities for enhancing mutual military cooperation, as well as the exchange of the gained experiences, one of the objectives of the NATO alliance.
Minister Shekerinska and General Szendy agreed that North Macedonia and Hungary as NATO allies are particularly committed to the stability of the region, as evidenced by the cooperation in the KFOR mission in Kosovo. Shekerinska congratulated Hungarian General Ferenc Kajari on his recent appointment as commander of the KFOR mission in Kosovo.
At the official meeting held at the General Staff the activities implemented in the transformation process of the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia, our contribution to peace support operations, experiences from the engagement in the current migrant crisis, the exercise and activities conducted at the ATA Krivolak were presented to the Hungarian military delegation by the competent officers.
After expressing gratitude for the current cooperation and continuous support by the Hungarian Armed Forces, General Gjurchinovski expressed readiness to further find new forms of military cooperation, primarily in the joint participation in the exercises planned for the ATA Krivolak, as well as joint participation in peace support operations.
During the talks, General Szendy emphasized the readiness to share the experiences of the Hungarian Armed Forces in assessments according to the NATO concept, as well as support in mentoring the training for the upcoming assessments of our units.
During the day, General Szendy will be received by the President of the Republic of North Macedonia and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Stevo Pendarovski, after which he will visit the Special Forces Battalion in Ilinden Barracks, where part of the unit’s training will be presented.
The Ministries of Defense of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Hungary signed a cooperation agreement in 2002, since when a large number of members of the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia were educated in the military educational institutions of the Republic of Hungary. As NATO allies, new opportunities are opening up for intensifying cooperation with the Armed Forces of the Republic of Hungary, especially in conducting joint exercise and military education.