Last night, at the Army’s stadium in the City park in Skopje, a central celebration took place to mark the 25th anniversary of the forming of the Army of Republic of Macedonia.
During the celebration, which began by firing artillery weapons, the President Gjorge Ivanov and the Minister of Defense, Radmila Šekerinska addressed the attendees. The Head of the State remarked that the army was engaged without his decision and Šekerinska requested an engagement for accomplishing the vision for a NATO membership.
-Due to a lack of resources and time, including without a decision by the army’s supreme commander and without conditions when a crisis is declared, more often the army is engaged in tasks that are under the jurisdiction of other institutions. I repeat, the army is engaged without my decision and when the conditions for calling a state of crisis aren’t met. It is a serious violation of the law that I will not tolerate. ARM is spending its resources on others’ tasks that under the jurisdiction of other institutions. The circle of responsibility about jurisdictions has to be closed about what, who and when – said Ivanov.
By objecting that he is not involved in the decision-making process he stressed that more money is needed for the army.
Minister Radmila Šekerinska stressed that the road towards forming the army in the last 25 years was fraught with numerous challenges for which, as she said, most of the ARM members know that better than her and other previous and future ministers.
