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North Macedonia showcased six 105 mm air-transportable light towed howitzers, BORAN, and related military equipment received from Türkiye during a ceremony on Friday, marking the country's military modernization efforts.
The equipment, developed domestically by Türkiye's Machine and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) under the Ministry of National Defense, was presented at the Mirce Acev Barracks in Pirlep, located in the southern part of the country.
The presentation ceremony drew high-ranking officials, including North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, Defense Minister Vlado Misajlovski, Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Sasko Lafciski, Turkish Ambassador to Skopje Fatih Ulusoy, MKE General Manager Ilhami Keles, and Aselsan Balkans Office Director Dogan Coskun, along with ministers, parliamentarians, and senior representatives from Turkish and Macedonian institutions.
Mickoski emphasized that two important contracts for acquiring new and modern military equipment in accordance with NATO standards have been successfully implemented through the North Macedonia Ministry of Defense.
"We are strengthening our defense capacity, modernizing our army, and clearly showing that we can make strategic investments responsible for the security of our citizens," Prime Minister Mickoski added during the ceremony.
Defense Minister Misajlovski described the equipment, consisting of six BORAN howitzers from Türkiye, as a good investment for the country's army that significantly increases the capacity to protect national security.
"The procurement of this military equipment through an interstate agreement is a clear indication of our great confidence in the high quality of Turkish defense industry products," Misajlovski said, highlighting that the equipment was manufactured in Türkiye according to NATO's highest standards.
Turkish Ambassador Ulusoy conveyed greetings from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to participants, stating, "Türkiye has always stood by North Macedonia and our brothers in this country since its independence."
Ulusoy recalled that Mickoski was received by President Erdogan in Istanbul in February, during which a joint political declaration was signed, establishing a High-Level Cooperation Council and elevating bilateral relations to the strategic partnership level.
"With this, relations between our two countries have reached the level of strategic partnership," Ulusoy said and added, "Military and defense industry cooperation constitutes a vital pillar of our bilateral relations.
The Balkans are a priority in Turkish foreign policy, and our military cooperation—both bilateral and multilateral—is rooted in our commitment to the security and stability of this region, which we see as inseparable from our own."
Lieutenant General Lafciski described the equipment as strong confirmation of North Macedonia's strategic orientation toward NATO-standard army modernization.
"Our strategic partner, the Republic of Türkiye, has reiterated its determined, selfless, sincere, and brotherly support to build and strengthen our partnership that has benefited us for years," Lafciski said.
The military leader noted that the Turkish Armed Forces acquired the howitzer in 2021, adding, "It became part of our army only 4 years later. This makes us the first country in Europe."
Ambassador Ulusoy confirmed that efforts will continue to take the developing relations between Türkiye and North Macedonia to an even more advanced level in all areas.
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