Within the framework of the visit to the USA, the Minister of Defense Slavjanka Petrovska in Vermont attended and addressed the ceremony that marked the 30-year partnership between the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia and the National Guard of Vermont, and signed it with the Governor of Vermont, Phil Scott and the solemn document that reflects this three-decade partnership and the commitment of the Army and the National Guard to future joint activities.

- Three decades ago, we were brought together by our vision of unity and cooperation as well as our shared values. Over the past 30 years, we have had impressive results - we have organized over 350 activities, and the peak of mutual trust was the joint participation in the mission in Afghanistan in 2010. We also saw the transformational power of cooperation - how the sharing of knowledge, expertise and resources leads to innovative solutions that have a long-term impact", said the minister. 

Focusing on future opportunities, Petrovska emphasized that especially today when we are facing complex challenges, we must remain agile, adapt to changes and continue to find solutions that will strengthen our collective security. 

"Stepping into this new phase of our partnership, we must be both bold and ambitious in our goals. The achievements of the past 30 years exemplify our resilience and collective capacities. Now is the time to be even more determined and push the boundaries of what we can achieve together", said Petrovska. 

The minister thanked General Knight and General Gjurchinovski and their predecessors for their commitment in the development of this partnership, and acknowledged all members of the Army and the National Guard for their professionalism, dedication and commitment that shaped the mutual partnership. The Governor of Vermont, Scott emphasized that "over the years, our armies have cooperated a lot - with exercises in North Macedonia and the United States, with humanitarian work and with the joint participation in Afghanistan in 2010, when members of our National Guard stood side by side with North Macedonia" . 

"Their shared experiences and commitment of defense leaders have been extremely important to the success of this partnership and have helped us build this strong relationship." I want to highlight several great successes during this time, which includes North Macedonia's membership in NATO as the 30th Ally.. With that, you joined the most successful Alliance in the world, and we became closer", said Governor Scott. 

In his address, the Chief of the General Staff, General Gjurchinovski thanked for the 30 years of support from Vermont and added that the Army is fully committed to an even stronger development of cooperation and togetherness with the National Guard. In Burlington, Minister Petrovska and Governor Scott had a separate meeting where they confirmed the political support for the continued development of the partnership between the two armed forces. 

After the ceremony, Minister Petrovska said in a statement to Thelma and TV21 that we should be proud of the successes achieved through this partnership, especially in the field of defense.

"Through the building of national capacities, through the strengthening of the Macedonian Army, however, and through the building of real friendships, what is the essence of this partnership is actually reflected," said Petrovska. He added that cooperation continues to develop in the domain of crisis management, cyber defense, as well as other sectors.