Today at barracks “Strasho Pindjur” in Petrovec, there was an official duty handover ceremony of the Commander of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade (1MIBde), in accordance with the decrees issued by the President of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Stevo Pendarovski.
The newly appointed Commander of the 1MIBde, Colonel Besnik Emini, whose previous position was Chief of Staff at the Joint Operations Command, took over from the outgoing commander Colonel Dragan Kovachki.
The JOC Commander, Major General Pavle Asrsoski, the new and the former Commanders of 1MIBde, Colonels Dragan Kovachki and Besnik Emini addressed the members of the brigade and the guests at the ceremony.
General Arsoski commended the outgoing commander for his efforts and the results of his work as commander of the brigade in a period which was dynamic with great number of tasks and activities. He congratulated the new commander on his new appointment wishing him success in his work and even better results with the brigade of which he was also a deputy commander.
The outgoing commander of the brigade Colonel Dragan Kovachki in his short speech thanked the members of the brigade for their professionalism and support and told them to continue with the team work and proudly promote the motto of the unit, “Honour and Strength”.
The new commander Colonel Besnik Emini in his speech said that it was a great honour to lead the biggest unit in the Army as well as a big challenge.
He said that he will use all of his potential commanding the brigade in order to implement the tasks arising from the strategic defense plan and the NATO membership.
Handing over the flag of the brigade at the end of the ceremony marked the official handover of the appointment Commander of the 1MIBde, and it was followed by a military parade of the subordinate units of the brigade.
The ceremony was attended by: the Deputy of the General Staff, Major General Azim Nuredin, Army’s generals, representatives of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of North Macedonia, the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, military attachés and representatives from the NATO Liaison Office, former commanders of the brigade and other commanders of units and commands of the army.
The General Staff of the Army, with today’s handover of the appointment 1MIBde Commander, implemented the decree for appointing and dismissal issued by the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Stevo Pendarovski.
1MIBde as the biggest joint-tactical unit of the JOC, is the core of the combat force of the Army and its well prepared units provide support and protection of the national interest and support during natural disasters and other dangerous situations, which is the main mission of the unit.
