Readout of U.S.-North Macedonia Bilateral Defense Consultations

Pentagon Spokesman Lt. Col. Charlie Dietz provided the following readout:

Tressa Guenov, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, co-chaired the U.S.-North Macedonia Bilateral Defense Consultations (BDC) with North Macedonia's Minister of Defense, Mr. Vlado Misajlovski, on September 24 at the Pentagon. The meeting included participation from North Macedonia's Ministry of Defense, General Staff, the U.S. Joint Staff, U.S. European Command, the Vermont National Guard, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and the Department of State.

Participants discussed contributions to global security, support for Ukraine, and bilateral security cooperation priorities, including exercises, training, logistics and sustainment, military-to-military engagements, and North Macedonia's long-standing State Partnership Program with the Vermont National Guard. North Macedonian defense officials shared their perspectives on the security situation in the Western Balkans and their role within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Alliance. The United States thanked North Macedonia for a productive BDC and reaffirmed the importance of dialogue in achieving a stable and secure Western Balkans.