site.btaSofia-Skopje Relations in Defence: Backgrounder

North Macedonia's Defence Minister Slavjanka Petrovska started an official two-day visit in Sofia Friday.

Here is a timeline of the exchange of visits of defence ministers of the two countries:

October 19-20, 1992: Macedonian Defence Minister Vlado Popovski pays an official visit to Sofia on the invitation of Bulgarian counterpart Alexander Staliiski. Regional security and the positions of the armed forces in the newly democratic societies top the agenda of talks. Popovski also meets with Prime Minister Filip Dimitrov and President Zhelyu Zhelev.

November 3-4, 1994: Macedonian Defence Minister Vlado Popovski pays a private visit, meets with Defence Minister Boyko Noev and discusses with him bilateral military cooperation.

September 3, 1997: Bulgarian Defence Minister Georgi Ananiev pays a one-day working visit to Skopje, the first visit by a Bulgarian Defence Minister after Bulgaria's recognition of the independence of Macedonia on January 15, 1992. The visit has more political than military significance. Talks focus on enhancing bilateral military cooperation within the Partnership for Peace initiative and building regional security.

March 12, 1999: The two Armed Forces sign a framework agreement during an official visit to Sofia by Macedonian Defence Minister Nikola Kljusev. The agreement provides for advancing cooperation in the military-economic, military-technical and personnel fields. Bulgaria offers to make military donation to Macedonia, including 150 tanks and 150 artillery units.

May 4, 1999: Bulgarian Parliament ratifies an agreement for a military donation to Macedonia, including 94 T-55 tanks, 108 M-30 grenade launchers and ammunition.

April 18 - 19, 2000: Defence Minister Boyko Noev is on an official visit. The sides agree to reduce the number of border guards along the border between the two countries and to broaden cooperation. They identify a need to exchange experiences on the road to accession to the Euro-Atlantic structures. Noev meets with President Boris Trajkovski, Prime Minister Lyubco Georgievski and Foreign Minister Aleksandar Jordanov. 

October 24 - 25, 2000: Defence Minister Ljuben Paunovski is on an official visit in Sofia at Noev's invitation. The two discuss exchanges of cadets, military and military education faculty; sign a protocol on military education. Paunovski meets with President Peter Stoyanov and Parliament Chair Yordan Sokolov.

January 20, 2001: Boyko Noev is on a brief visit to Skopje for talks with Ljuben Paunovski. The two sign a military cooperation plan for 2001.

January 29 - 30, 2002: Defence Minister Vlado Popovski is on an official visit in Sofia at the invitation of Nikolai Svinarov. The two sign a military cooperation programme for 2002. Popovski meets with Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, President Georgi Purvanov, Foreign Minister Solomon Passy and Parliament Deputy Chair Blagovest Sendov. The sides discuss mostly the need to improve infrastructure, bilateral military cooperation in the context of the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the two countries.

November 15, 2002: Macedonian Defence Minister Vlado Buckovski is on a working visit in Sofia at the invitation of Nikolai Svinarov. The two discuss broadening cooperation in defence, NATO integration and plans for the T-55 tanks donated to Skopje by Sofia in 1999 (as they have to be replaced by more modern ones in keeping with the Skopje action plan for NATO accession.

November 15 - 16, 2003: Nikolai Svinarov is on an official visit to Skopje at the invitation of Vlado Buckovski. The two sides sign a plan for military cooperation in 2004. Buckovski tells a news briefing that by mid-2004 his country will destroy 60 of the tanks donated by Bulgaria. Svinarov said that Bulgaria provides political support for Skopje's NATO accession and seeks support for the maintenance of monuments in Macedonia to Bulgarian soldiers who died in WWI. Svinarov meets with President Boris Trajkovski and Parliament leader Ljupco Jordanovski.

May 7, 2007: Defence Minister Vesselin Bliznakov is on working visit to Skopje at the invitation of Lazar Elenovski. The two discuss the prospects of bilateral cooperation in defence, as well as security and stability in the region.

May 10, 2012: Defence Minister Fatmir Besimi pays a working visit, meets with Bulgarian counterpart Anyu Angelov to discuss regional cooperation in security and bilateral interaction within the framework of regional initiatives. They also sign a bilateral cooperation plan in defence for 2012.

July 22, 2014: Defence Minister Zoran Jolevski pays an official visit to Skopje. He discusses with Bulgarian counterpart Angel Naydenov the maintenance of Bulgarian military monuments and graves in Macedonia. Jolevski meets with Parliament leader Mihail Mikov, Deputy Foreign Minister Todor Chourov and the chair of the parliamentary defence committee, Atanas Merdjanov.

November 1 - 2, 2017: Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Radmila Sekerinska is on an official visit in Sofia to discuss the development of relations in defence. The two sides sign two protocols of intent: one related to laboratory tests and the other for cooperation of the Air Forces of the two countries. Sekerinska meets with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

February 21, 2019: A protocol on cooperation in military recreation between the two defence ministries is signed in Sofia by Deputy Defence Minister Anatolii Velichkov of Bulgaria and the State Secretary at the Defence Ministry of the Republic of North Macedonia, Dragan Nikolic. The document provides for the shared use of military recreation facilities of the two countries. They also discuss military-technical cooperation and cooperation in the strategic review of North Macedonia's defence.