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The annual South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) meeting was held in person on the 4th of November in Skopje.Representatives of the SEDM Nations, SEEBRIG HQ and representatives of UNDP/SEESAC, Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), RACVIAC and European Union participated. The meeting was presided by the SEDM Chairman Mr. Plamen YORDANOV, Deputy Minister of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman stressed on the importance of the Ministerial meeting as the forum for high-level officials to discuss current regional security issues and concerns. Moreover, Mr. YORDANOV expressed his confidence in the future of the process and its consolidation as one of the most important regional mechanisms for cooperation and highlighted that such events contribute to the regional security and stability based on the principle “ It’s much better to know each other, before we need each other”.

Ms. Radmila SHEKERINSKA, Minister of Defence of the Republic of North Macedonia, gave a key note speech, in which she addressed the immediate challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the looming threats such as climate change, disinformation and the digitization of conflicts and crises. Furthermore, she underlined that cooperation and partnership are essential for the nations in order to thrive and be resilient.

Following the update on the latest developments on SEDM-CC projects and PMSC activities, given by Mr. YORDANOV, the Commander of the South-Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG) Brigadier General Aristeidis ILIOPOULOS reviewed the Brigade’s activities since the last SEDM Ministerial meeting in 2020 and presented the documents to be approved by the MPFSEE Nations.

During the meeting, the SEDM nations’ Ministers and their representatives expressed their national views and commitment to the SEDM Process, thus contributing to the importance of the Initiative as acrucial format for regional cooperation.

In the closing remarks the SEDM Chairman congratulated Ms. Radmila SHEKERINSKA for the successful organization of the Ministerial in these unprecedented circumstances.

The full joint statement is available here.

The South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) meeting was held in Belgrade on October 11, 2018.

Ministers and representatives from SEDM Nations, the SEEBRIG Commander and observers from NATO HQ, UN Office in Belgrade, UNDP/SEESAC, RACVIAC and RCC participated in the Meeting, chaired by H.E. Amb. Eleftherios ANGHELOPOULOS.

This event marks the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the MPFSEE Agreement and nations reiterated their commitment to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the SEDM Process through increased cooperation.

The meeting focused on promoting enduring-peace, stability and security in the region of Southeastern Europe (SEE), as well the achievements obtained within the SEDM process.

As the last meeting of the Athens SEDM Chairmanship, the nations expressed their appreciation to Athens, the SEDM-CC/ PMSC Chairman and the Secretariat for their efforts to coordinate fruitful meetings and activities, as well as extended their wishes for success to Tirana, being the Chair of SEDM-CC/ PMSC Secretariat during 2019-2021.

Finally, the nations expressed their appreciation to Belgrade for the tireless efforts in successfully preparing and conducting the annual SEDM Ministerial Meeting.

The full joint statement is available here.