Director of RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation, Ambassador Miroslav Šćepanović, conducted his first official visit to the Republic of North Macedonia on 15–16 July 2026. The visit focused on strengthening cooperation with key regional partners, reaffirming North Macedonia’s continued support to RACVIAC activities, and advancing joint initiatives in the fields of security cooperation, capacity building, and cyber resilience.
Participation in the SEEBRIG Farewell Ceremony
On 15 July 2026, Ambassador Šćepanović participated in the SEEBRIG Farewell Ceremony held in Kumanovo, at the invitation of the SEDM Secretariat of the Chairmanship of the Hellenic Republic.
The ceremony marked an important milestone in the history of the Southeast Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG), recognizing its significant contribution to regional stability, interoperability, and security cooperation. Following its successful period in Kumanovo, the SEEBRIG Headquarters will relocate to Istanbul, Republic of Türkiye.
The event was addressed by Mr. Vlado Misajlovski, Minister of Defense of the Republic of North Macedonia; Ambassador a.h. Mr. Eleftherios Anghelopoulos, SEDM-CC/PMSC Chairperson; and Brigadier General Bilbil Bitri, Commander of SEEBRIG, who highlighted SEEBRIG’s achievements and its contribution to regional cooperation.
On the margins of the ceremony, Ambassador Šćepanović met with Brigadier General Bitri and expressed appreciation for SEEBRIG’s continued contribution to regional security. He underlined the importance of maintaining close cooperation between RACVIAC and SEEBRIG in support of shared objectives. The RACVIAC Director stressed that RACVIAC, SEDM, and SEEBRIG are different facets of the same strategic framework, each playing a complementary role in advancing a shared mission. He emphasized that only through close cooperation and mutual support can they effectively achieve their common goal of enhancing security and stability throughout South East Europe (SEE).
Continued Partnership with the Ministry of Defense of North Macedonia
As part of his official visit, Ambassador Šćepanović held a meeting on 16 July with the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of North Macedonia, Mr. Admir Shabani. During the meeting with Deputy Minister Shabani, Ambassador Šćepanović expressed appreciation for North Macedonia’s longstanding and active engagement with RACVIAC since the establishment of the Centre.
The meeting highlighted North Macedonia’s valuable contribution to RACVIAC activities, including the continued secondment of personnel and its support to the implementation of the Centre’s Programme. Ambassador Šćepanović particularly acknowledged North Macedonia’s role within the Countering Transnational Security Threats (CTST) Pillar through the provision of a Program Manager.
Deputy Minister Shabani noted that North Macedonia has consistently taken a proactive approach and will continue to do so wherever it believes it can make a meaningful contribution. He also informed the Director that the national procedures for the appointment of a new representative to this position are nearing completion.
Ambassador Šćepanović stressed that effective regional cooperation begins with a strong multinational team within RACVIAC itself and thanked North Macedonia for its continued support and contribution to the Centre’s mission.
The meeting also followed up on the recent discussion between Ambassador Šćepanović and H.E. Mr. Timcho Mucunski, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of North Macedonia, held on the margins of the Dubrovnik Forum 2026.
Both sides emphasized that effective multinational cooperation and capacity building rely on strong institutional engagement and continued contributions from participating Members.
Advancing Cyber Resilience and Institutional Cooperation
The visit concluded with a meeting with Prof. Ph.D. Biljana Karovska-Andonovska, Vice-Dean of the Military Academy “General Mihailo Apostolski”, a strategic partner institution of RACVIAC. Ambassador Šćepanović and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sc. Dimitar Bogatinov, Head of the Institute of Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics, reviewed the successful cooperation between the two institutions, with particular focus on the regional initiative: “Strengthening SEE Resilience in Cyber Security against Hybrid Threats (STRENGHT 2022–2026).”
The project has contributed to enhancing regional expertise, cooperation, and confidence-building in the area of cyber security and hybrid threats. The concluding project activity, “Outcomes, Findings, and Recommendations Based on the Project,” will be held at RACVIAC from 30 September to 1 October 2026.
Discussions also addressed the development of a follow-on three-year new SEE-SHIELD project for the period 2027–2029, to be implemented in cooperation with the Military Academy in Skopje and the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) in Podgorica, building upon the results and experience gained through the STRENGHT initiative.
During this official visit to North Macedonia, Ambassador Šćepanović was accompanied by Ms. Glorija Ivković, RACVIAC Business and MAG Secretary.
The visit reaffirmed the strong partnership between RACVIAC and the Republic of North Macedonia and demonstrated their shared commitment to strengthening regional security cooperation, resilience, and stability in South East Europe.
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