Macedonia Alumni Association holds their AGM in conjunction with security roundtable

The Macedonian Alumni Association held their AGM on May 5 at Army House in Skopje, marking the end of their three and a half year mandate which saw them hold a total of eight security roundtables over the period of their tenure. Their accomplishments also included the publishing of all their roundtable conclusions and recommendations and translating and publishing Marshall Center Occasion Paper No.17. As an outcome of the meeting, Prof. Dr. Stojan Kuzev (SES 1998-4, SES 2009-1) handed over the role of president to the newly nominated president of the association, Dr. Stojan Slaveski (EP 2002-1); the new officers and board members.

The association meeting was followed by the security roundtable, entitled "Dealing with Emergencies and Organizational Setup of Safety and Rescue." The program was co-sponsored by both the Protection and Rescue Directorate and the Crisis Management Center. Total number of attendees for the event was 80 to include alumni, US and German Embassy officials and invited guests. Introductory addresses were given by the roundtable co-sponsors Prof. Pande Lazaarevski, Director, Crisis Management Center and Mr. Shaban Saliu, Director, Protection and Rescue Directorate. Marshall Center professor Dr. Jack Clarke also gave opening remarks.

The roundtable's keynote speakers were Prof. Dr. Pande Lazarevski with a presentation entitled "National Platform for Reducing Risks by Disasters and Emergencies;" Mr. Vlatko Jovanovski, Executive Officer, International Cooperation, Protection and Rescue Directorate who addressed "Organizational and Functional Setup of the Protection and Rescue Directorate" and the MC invited speaker Mr. Ragnar Boe, Deputy Head of Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC), NATO HQ who spoke on "NATO, CEP Crises Management. Presentations were followed by questions and discussion.