The Minister of Defence Zoran Konjanovski handed over today the second “Strategy for Defence of the Republic of Macedonia” to the President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Gjorgje Ivanov.

According to Minister Konjanovski, the Strategy is an exclusively significant document that needs to be updated every five years, and with the coming of a new President and Supreme Commander, to have its own supplement.

- The foundation on which the Strategy is prepared is above all the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia and the role of the Ministry of Defence and ARM in relation to the defending of the territorial sovereignty and integrity of the country, Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, but also the missions outside of Macedonia, said Konjanovski.

He informed that in the preparation of the Strategy, during the course of 2008 and 2009 there was involvement from experts from the MOD, GS of the ARM, professors from the University “St Cyril and Methodius” together with other institutions and in cooperation with the NATO Advisory Team in the country and representatives from the American “Booz Alen Hamilton”.

The key document that concerns strategic planning, stressed Minister of Defence Konjanovski, is also the Long-term Defence Development Plan which is expected to be adopted in the forthcoming three months.