The largest multinational exercise "Rapid Response 23" was held today in Krivolak, which is being held in the country this year and which demonstrates the unity of NATO.

The exercise was successfully completed by our Army together with three NATO armies - USA, Albania and Montenegro and NATO's partner country - Kosovo.

Together we show our values ​​and potentials, and that is the essence of NATO through joint actions to ensure individual and general peace for everyone. The Republic of North Macedonia is no longer an object on the geopolitical stage, but an entity that actively participates in decision-making at the same table with the world's super powers, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski said today after the exercise.

This, as Kovacevski said, is the best rebuttal for those who were against joining NATO three years ago.

For North Macedonia, the preservation of peace and stability in the Western Balkans is one of the top priorities. With the agreement on FRONTEX and membership in NATO, we protected our identity benchmarks, our language and our culture. Our country is stronger and more stable than ever, both politically and economically, Kovacevski said.

He sent a message and a call for cohesion, togetherness, unification and rising above, as he said, our political, ideological differences in the name of a better quality of life and a more secure future for all of us and future generations.

Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska emphasized that rapid changes require quick and decisive responses, and for them, as she said, we must be ready together with our allies.

No country, no Army can be supreme if they are not united. Our unity in NATO is our strength. In NATO, we walk side by side, united with the progressive forces of the world and our partner, the United States, ready to respond to threats regardless of where they come from, said Petrovska.

The benefits of the NATO alliance, as he said, are primarily for the citizens and their sense of belonging, safety and security.

Solidarity is the key to success and progress, especially in difficult times. Strength is in diversity, in every sense. Every success is a joint success, said Petrovska.