Today, in the Army Hall, the Chief of General Staff of the Army, Lieutenant General Gorancho Koteski,
reported to the President of the Republic of Macedonia and Supreme Commander of the armed forces, H.E. Dr. Gjorge Ivanov on the combat readiness of the Army for 2014.

In attandance for the report were also the Minister of Defense Zoran Jolevski, the President of the Defense and Security Committee in the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia Emil Dimitriev, high officials from the Ministry of Defense and the Army as well as commanders of subordinate commands and units in the Army of the Republic of Macedonia.

President Ivanov was informed about the realization of plans and tasks in 2014 in accordance with the functional fields of the Army.

"On the basis of the performed comprehensive annual analysis by the General Staff, it was concluded that in this past year, the Army, in spite of objective difficulties an limitations, was a model institution in terms of execution of duties, both in the country and abroad. The Army was successful in the performance of its mission and tasks, whereby our combat readiness was at the necessary level", stated the Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Gorancho Koteski.

He added that all the key tasks and projects that marked this last year were successfully accomplished, naming among others: the successful realization of international missions outside of Macedonia, focusing on the finalization of the ISAF mission and the beginning of the "Decisive Support" in Afghanistan; transformation of the Army in accordance with the dynamic plan; assistance to institutions in cases of natural disasters and rescue missions; adopting a number of regulations and guidelines for efficient performance of complex tasks and reinforced regional and international military cooperation.

The Chief of General Staff also provided an insight in the process of modernization of the Army in line with the Long-term Plan for Modernization of Defense adopted by the Government, as well as in the implementation of the concept of reserve as a key factor in the transformation of the Army - a process started in 2012 and expected to finish this year.
President Ivanov congratulated the members of the Army for their selfless engagement in the strengthening of one of the institutions enjoying the highest level of trust in the country. He underlined that the Army can serve as an example, having proven its readiness by meeting NATO criteria and being successful in international missions, as well as assisting in times of natural disasters.

The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Macedonia Zoran Jolevski stated that in 2015, the Army will be given maximum support in raising its combat readiness. The Ministry, he said, will continue supporting the Army in the successful performance of its function.

The main priorities and measures to contribute in 2015 to the further strengthening and raising the degree of combat readiness of Army members will be the regular staffing of the Army, adaptation of trainings to the current security challenges and NATO requirements, continuation of participation in peace-keeping missions, realization of the project "ARM – my true home" and further improvement of the degree of training.