Portugal and North Macedonia have signed a bilateral cooperation agreement in the field of Defense, which includes areas such as cyber-defense, “joint instruction and training programs” and industries in this sector.
In a statement sent to Lusa, the Ministry of National Defense made a point of explaining this is the first agreement of its kind. It was signed on September 11 in Escopia by the Portuguese Minister of Defense, Helena Carreiras, and her North Macedonian counterpart, Slavjanka Petrovska.
The agreement includes cooperation in areas such as “security and defense policy”, humanitarian and peacekeeping operations in the context of NATO, the United Nations and the European Union (EU), “the establishment of joint education and training programs” and even “cooperation within the scope of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy and associated initiatives, namely military missions”.
Cooperation is also planned in the area of defense industries, cyber-defence, “environmental protection in military installations” and “gender issues and the role of women in the Armed Forces”.
During her recent visit to North Macedonia (between September 10 and 11), Helena Carreiras reiterated Portugal’s support for the country’s accession to the European Union to the President of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, and his counterpart.
For the government, North Macedonia’s entry “will contribute to the enrichment of the European project and to the stability of the Balkan region, especially in the current context arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Helena Carreiras.
During the visit, the Portuguese Defense Minister also addressed issues such as the support of both countries for Ukraine and the “importance of combating Russian disinformation in view of the global scale of this war and its impact on various regions of the world”.
In March 2020, North Macedonia officially joined the Atlantic Alliance.
The allies approved the protocol for North Macedonia’s accession to NATO in February 2019, after the former Yugoslav republic agreed to change its name following an agreement with Greece that put an end to a protracted historical dispute.
Source: Portugal Resident
