The new security reality on the European continent calls for cohesion and cooperation, and our security lies in the collective security of our NATO allies, because we are NATO, said today the Minister of Defense Slavjanka Petrovska, who is on an official visit to Sofia.

Petrovska, as informed by the Ministry of Defense, said that the common lesson learned in the past three months is that only when all NATO allies speak in one voice, when we stand together and work together, only then can we guarantee our security.

The minister welcomed Bulgaria's decision to host the NATO multinational battle group.

Having in mind the security situation in Europe, Petrovska said that what is needed at the moment is full integration and unity.

- Northern Macedonia's membership in NATO meant enhanced security and stability not only for our country, but also for our neighbors, including Bulgaria, which has an ally on part of its western border, said Minister Petrovska.

She said that at the upcoming NATO ministerial meeting, as well as at the leadership summit in Madrid, several important documents for the Alliance will be discussed - the NATO 2030 agenda and the new Strategic Concept of the Alliance. He informed that the Government remains committed to the fair distribution of expenditures within the Alliance and the stable growth of the defense budget, which by 2024 should reach the level of 2 percent of gross domestic product.

Today in Sofia, Minister Petrovska will meet with her Bulgarian counterpart, Minister Dragomir Zakov, and in the Parliament of Bulgaria she will have a meeting with the leadership of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense.

She will also meet with two officers of the Army of the Republic of Northern Macedonia who are currently attending higher military education at the Military Academy "General Gjorgji S. Rakovski ”in Sofia.