Today (March 28) the 5th anniversary of our country’s membership in the Alliance was marked at the “Ilinden” barracks in Skopje. The event, which was attended by the President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, the Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, the Speaker of Parliament, Afrim Gashi, the Defense Minister Vlado Misajlovski, the Chief of the Army General Staff, Major General Sasko Lafchiski, the Commander of the Allied Joint Force Command Naples, Admiral Stuart Munsch and other guests, began with a minute of silence and the firing of platoons of 59 shooters in memory of the 59 victims of the tragic event in Kocani.
President Siljanovska-Davkova, addressing the audience, said that since the first years of our independence, a cross-party consensus was built built among Macedonian citizens on the need for integration into NATO, as a prerequisite for creating an environment of peace, stability and prosperity for generations to come.
Macedonian membership in NATO, said the President, was recognized as a top strategic goal along with membership in the European Union.
“Among us are some of the veterans of the Macedonian defense who dedicated their careers to the achievement of this goal. However, the fact is that in order to achieve this strategic goal, enormous efforts were invested and great sacrifices and painful compromises were made, which were not required of any other candidate country. The most difficult part of the road to NATO was certainly walked by the military and civilian members of the Army, who through painstaking reforms, continuous military exercises and risky peace support operations gained invaluable experience, but also great deserved respect from the allies. This is evidenced by the numerous recognitions for the expertise, competence, and sacrifice of the members of the Army by our strategic partners and senior NATO representatives. It is no coincidence that as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I am proud of our Army, as our important actor in NATO,” said the President.
Minister Misajlovski emphasized the importance of the Alliance, stating, “Words of comfort, and even more so, the willingness to help, are what make us, the 32 NATO countries, a united, unified force that is ready to meet the needs of each member state.” In doing so, the Minister emphasized that NATO is not only a military-political alliance that protects the external borders of the member states, but an alliance that has one common essence – caring for each other.
The Minister also referred to the professionalism of all 146 members of the Army who were engaged in supporting the institutions after the tragic event and who had to cope with their own feelings and grief and respond to the tasks in the most professional manner.
The Chief of the General Staff, Major General Sashko Lafchiski, who, referring to the tragedy in Kochani, in which 59 people died, stated that this event demonstrated the value of alliance, friendship and good neighborliness, emphasizing that in the most difficult moments the entire region and beyond mobilizes in selfless support. In addition, the general emphasized that this tragedy showed what NATO means in its original form expressed through the direct support received from the member states.
Referring to the future challenges of the Army, General Lafchiski stated “Our goal continues to be the creation of a modern, mobile and technologically advanced Army, an Army that is a credible ally, an Army that consistently fulfills its obligations to the Alliance and is strongly committed to collective security”.
Admiral Munsch, as the highest NATO representative, emphasized that our country has proven on many occasions that it is a strong and capable ally and contributor. The Admiral said that for decades our soldiers have stood shoulder to shoulder in NATO operations – in Afghanistan and Iraq, and by participating in the missions in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, our country has demonstrated its commitment to regional security. “NATO can rely on North Macedonia and North Macedonia can rely on NATO,” said Admiral Munsch.
At the celebration of the anniversary of NATO membership, for the first time in the Macedonian Army the NATO Vigilance Medal was awarded to service members who had been deployed within the Alliance’s multinational forces in Latvia, Romania, and Bulgaria from June 2022 to December 2024.
