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From Sunday (February 14), a high delegation from the National Guard of the US State of Vermont, led by the Commander of the Vermont National Guard, Major General Michael Dubie, is on a three-day official visit to the ARM and the Republic of Macedonia.

The goal of the visit of the ARM by the Commander of the Vermont National Guard is considering opportunities for improving the further cooperation with the Vermont National Guard and looking into the preparedness of the ARM contingent for the forthcoming joint participation with the Vermont National Guard in the ISAF mission. The Chief of General Staff of the ARM, Lieutenant General Miroslav Stojanovski will be the official host to the delegation from Vermont, and according to the programme, it is foreseen for General Dubie to meet the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Gjorgje Ivanov, the Minister of Defence, Mr. Zoran Konjanovski and the Minister of Interior, Ms. Gordana Jankulovska. In the framework of the visit, in the “Ilinden” barracks in Skopje, General Dubie will meet the members of the ARM who will be deployed together with the Vermont National Guard in Afghanistan, where a demonstration exercise will be carried out in front of the guests.

On Monday the delegation will officially be received by Lieutenant General Miroslav Stojanovski in the GS of the ARM, where it is foreseen for them to hold a meeting with representatives from the GS of the ARM, where the guests from Vermont will be informed about the preparations of the ARM contingent for the forthcoming joint participation with Vermont National Guard members in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.

Otherwise, the Vermont National Guard represents a partner to the ARM with who activities for cooperation with the US Army are realized, coordinated through the popular military contact program, which is an integral part of the overall bilateral cooperation between both armies. This programme is being realized through different forms of training, such as: seminars that are being realized in the Republic of Macedonia, conferences, visits of military bases, school centres, and institutions in the USA, carrying out joint exercises and other. The Military Contact program and the cooperation with Vermont National Guard helped the ARM a lot in the achievement of NATO standards in several fields. In favour of this indicates the fact that from 1995 until now over 200 activities have been realized with the participation of over 4000 members from the ARM and MOD.

The meeting with the delegation from Vermont in the GS of the ARM in Monday will be held at 10:30 hours, and at 11:15 hours in the hall of the MOD and GS of the ARM, Generals Stojanovski and Dubie will give press statements.

Journalists, cameramen and photographers are invited to attend the meeting of the delegation from the Vermont National Guard with the Minister of Defence, for which it will be required to be present in front of the building of the MOD and GS of the ARM no later than 10:15 hours on February 15 2010.