NATO Secretary General praises North Macedonia’s contributions to the Alliance and stability in the Western Balkans

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On Tuesday (3 March 2026), NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, visited North Macedonia. He met with President, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, Prime Minister, Hristijan Mickoski, and the President of the Assembly, Afrim Gashi.

The Secretary General thanked North Macedonia for its contributions to Euro-Atlantic security. “Your troops serve alongside those from many other Allies as part of our Forward Land Forces in Bulgaria and Latvia, keeping our eastern flank secure, with credible deterrence and defence,” he said. He also praised North Macedonia’s steadfast support to Ukraine, including through NATO’s PURL initiative.

The Secretary General welcomed that North Macedonia devoted more than 2% of its GDP to defence in 2025. “This is vital progress, as Allies prepare their credible path to reach 5% of defence spending by 2035,” he pointed out.

Mr. Rutte said that North Macedonia had a crucial role in safeguarding stability across the Western Balkans, including with its contributions to the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR. Addressing North Macedonia’s Assembly, the Secretary General said that the Western Balkans remains a priority for NATO. “We must keep the troubles of the past, firmly in the past. Divisive rhetoric is reckless and dangerous, it is the enemy of progress. We can never allow peace to be jeopardised.”

Mr Rutte ended his visit at Ilinden Barracks, with the Minister of Defence, Vlado Misajlovski, where he thanked military personnel for their service.