Distinguished members of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia, Distinguished invitees,
Dear fellow citizens,

As the Supreme Commander of the Armed forces of the Republic of Macedonia, it is indeed a true honor to salute you and congratulate you on the Armed Forces Day of the Republic of Macedonia.

A century ago, on October 21, 1915, the Macedonian front was open. Almost one million soldiers from 20 nations, grouped in a dozen of different armies clashed on both sides of this front. However, for 200.000 of those soldiers, the only difference was the uniform they were forced to wear and the flag under which they were forced to fight. Those were the Macedonian soldiers who did not have their own army, and were thus forcibly mobilized by other armies to sacrifice their lives for other interests.

An irony of history is the fact that only a day before the opening of the Macedonian front, on October 20, 1915, was the day of birth of a fighter whose name would later on become a synonym for the Macedonian army. As the grandson of a voivode, Mirche Acev, a partisan, became the connection between Ilinden and the national liberation struggle and antifascist movement.

His name will be given to the first battalion of the national liberation army of Macedonia, established on August 18, 1943. The historical injustice was thus rectified, and Macedonian soldiers finally had their own army defending the interests of Macedonia.

Fellow citizens,

More than seven decades have passed since that day, and we have won our freedom, statehood, sovereignty and independence. In this great endeavor, the Army has continuously defended the acquired privileges and permanent interests of the Republic of Macedonia.

The Army of Republic of Macedonia has become the synonym for discipline, responsibility and patriotism.

The very essence of the Army is discipline. Throughout history, small, but disciplined armies managed to achieve what large undisciplined armies were never able to achieve. The discipline of our professional army is built in every soldier and every senior. It is built with character and integrity, with bravery and honor, with respect and sense of duty.

And yet, discipline is put to the test when one least expects it. From year to year, we have been fighting natural and man-made disasters. With a swift and decisive action, the Army has always helped all stakeholders from the systems for crisis management, protection and rescue. This was demonstrated during the latest floods and fires in several areas of our homeland. And for this, we are more than grateful.

Army discipline is also strengthened by the sense of responsibility - responsibility in front of the citizens it protects, but also towards the allies it fights together with, for the protection of peace and security in the world.

Discipline and responsibility are traits of true patriotism. Patriotism is shown by loyalty to the state, by caring for the defense, territorial sovereignty and integrity of the Republic of Macedonia. Your composition reflects the Macedonian model of coexistence, respect and acceptance of diversity. With this, you are also defending this top value of ours.

We know that whoever is disciplined and responsible towards the little things, will be equally as such when it comes to the big things. And what would be bigger and more important than assuring a carefree childhood for our children, a prosperous life for young people and a peaceful old age to our elders?

With everything it has been doing, the Army managed to acquire the trust of the citizens, but also the trust of its partners. This is why, as your Supreme Commander, I take pride in hearing how highly our citizens value the Army and how much respect they have for you. I am proud of this Army, recognized and decorated in our homeland and abroad, by our citizens, by foreign officials and by partner armies.

And there is a lot to be decorated for. We have had 9 rotations in Iraq and 27 rotations in Afghanistan where, at one point, we had more soldiers deployed per capita than 90% of the NATO Member States. Our peace keeping forces are also part of the international missions "Resolute Support" in Afghanistan, ALTEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and UNIFIL in Lebanon.

With 16 MAPs, the Macedonian Army have become one of the most verified in the history of NATO, ready to participate in even the most complex missions and operations.

Distinguished guests,

In March of 2010, as President and Supreme Commander, I adopted the still valid defense strategy of the Republic of Macedonia. This fundamental document had a validity period of five years. In the meantime, the security environment became subject of major changes.

Threats and challenges that have a negative impact on national and international security have multiplied.

Areas of crisis in the world have provoked a domino effect that undermined the security of our region as well. We hear about foreign terrorist fighters fighting on the battlefields in the Middle East and Northern Africa on a daily basis. Their aim is to annihilate diversity and impose their sombre vision. They choose no means to achieve this aim. They spread ethnic and religious intolerance and violence, even though violence in the name of any religion is violence against that same religion.

Unfortunately, the thing that remained unchanged since 2010, are the double standards and unlawful blockade of our NATO membership. Although we have long met all the criteria for NATO membership, we have been waiting for too long to take our rightful place in the Alliance.

Macedonia is ready for NATO membership. But is NATO ready for Macedonia's membership remains to be seen at the Warsaw Summit.

International law was violated at a Summit. I do hope that that mistake will be corrected at a Summit. I take this opportunity to call upon our Southern neighbor to adapt to the decision of the International Court of Justice. I urge our partners to confirm their observation of international law and agreements, but also to defend the collective interest of the Alliance and the interest of our Region for greater security and stability. Macedonia should obtain its rightful membership in NATO as soon as possible. Until then, we must remain prepared.

Dear guests,

The blockade imposed on our entry into NATO is reflected on the efficiency of our defense system.

We are facing threats whose tackling demands a different type of communication and cooperation among services, greater transparency in the work and revision of the system of control by the Assembly and institutions. Therefore, as President and Supreme Commander, I am involved in the process of initiating reforms of the security and defense services.

The new defense strategy will stipulate the obligation to build the necessary institutions to face such threats. Institutional response must be unified and coordinated. The response must be timely and preventive.

I wish to remind you that the Army is only one part of the institutional capacities of the state's national power to face and respond to threats. The Army must have an increased budget and be continuously upgraded and modernized.

The primary mission of the Army is to defend the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty, the unitary character of the state and the protection of citizens against external threats. The assessment of such threats will provide a direction for the further transformation of the Army in order to respond to the performance of operations to defend and protect the country. Experience has shown that intelligence and special operations are the best weapon in today's security environment.

I expect to see the Ministry of Defense begin, as soon as possible, the elaboration procedure for this basic document that will shape a new vision for the development and functioning of the defense system.

These are necessary steps for preservation of the lasting state interest.

We will approach these reforms of the defense system in a decisive and self-confident manner. If, in the past, we did not have an Army to rely to, today we have an Army to be proud of. An Army worthy of our respect.

And for this respect we have to give credit to those who deserve.

Today, on Armed Forces Day, I thank the Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Gorancho Koteski for his entire engagement so far, whereby he completely justified the trust vested in him. Maintaining the reform condition of the Army, he provided an example that should be followed in future. With his experience and knowledge so far, he will continue to serve as Adviser for Military Affairs to the President of the Republic of Macedonia.

I wish to thank all the retired generals who, during their career, invested themselves in building this Army that we are all proud of.

At the end, congratulating you on your 23rd birthday, I also congratulate all the members of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia, all promoted and newly appointed seniors, soldiers and civilians serving in the Army.

I congratulate you and I thank you for your professionalism and discipline in the performance of your responsible duty, but above all, I thank you for the solidarity you are showing to your fellow citizens and the loyalty you are showing to the homeland.

Many happy returns of this day!
Long live the Army of the Republic of Macedonia!
Long live the Republic of Macedonia!