Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with Slavjanka Petrovska, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of North Macedonia, at the Pentagon, June 12. Secretary Austin and Minister Petrovska discussed our bilateral defense relationship and signed a new Roadmap for Defense Cooperation for 2023-2033. This Roadmap outlines areas in which our nations will seek closer bilateral cooperation, all under the umbrella of our common NATO membership and the Alliance's capability targets. Our nations will seek to increase cooperation in cyber defense, logistics capabilities, and exercise and training capacity. In addition, Secretary Austin and Minister Petrovska discussed the current threat environment on Europe's eastern flank and preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius.
Secretary Austin thanked Minister Petrovska for the contributions North Macedonia has made to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself from Russia's unjustified attacks. Likewise, Secretary Austin commended the Minister for her leadership as North Macedonia continues to modernize its military equipment and capabilities in line with NATO standards.