Army of Macedonia observes 27th Anniversary of its Establishment

The Macedonian government and the Ministry of Defence observed on Sunday the Day of the Macedonian Army (ARM) 18 August, marking a 27-year jubilee since its establishment. The central ceremony for observation of the Day of ARM took place in Ohrid, where the Defence Minister Radmila Sekerinska and President Stevo Pendarovski addressed the attendees. “Allow me to express on behalf of the government gratitude to all soldiers and all employees in ARM for their contribution to the maintenance of the safety of North Macedonia. After 16 years, our army is finally undergoing processes for modernisation, and this year we saw the inauguration of 500 new soldiers. Another major success is the integration in NATO, a process which is expected to officially conclude by the end of 2019. Our path towards NATO is already secure, thanks to our tireless work and contributions to international missions like “Decisive Strike”. In this moment, I would also like to address greetings to the newly appointed adjutant to the President of North Macedonia, Biljana Blazevska, who is the first woman in the history of our country to reach such a high military position,” Sekerinska said in her address. In his address, President of Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski praised ARM and the reforms implemented so far. “The reforms constantly implemented in the sector of security are a process that is conducted for a longer period of time. In moments like these, when North Macedonia counts the months before becoming the 30^th full-fledged member-state of NATO, improving ARM is more than necessary and crucial. As a President and Supreme Commander of ARM, I shall always insist on modernisation of ARM, and decent conditions for its soldiers to work in,” Pendarovski said. ARM was established on 18 August 1992.