Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski to NATO Headquarters on Thursday (3 February 2022), thanking him for North Macedonia’s efforts to promote security, stability and progress in the Western Balkans.
Mr. Stoltenberg noted that the country is now part of NATO’s air policing system, with fighter jets from Greece on patrol to keep North Macedonia’s skies safe. The leaders discussed Russia’s continued military build-up in and around Ukraine, and the Secretary General underlined that we now see the biggest Russian deployment in Belarus since the Cold War. Mr. Stoltenberg said: “Any further Russian aggression would have severe consequences and carry a heavy price,” adding: “we remain ready to engage in meaningful dialogue.”