Slavjanka Petrovska Explained

Slavjanka Petrovska
Office:Minister of Defense
Primeminister:Dimitar Kovačevski
Term Start:January 17, 2022
Term End:June 23, 2024
Predecessor:Radmila Šekerinska
Successor:Vlado Misajlovski
Office1:Member of the Macedonian Assembly
Term Start1:2020
Term End1:2022
Term Start2:2024
Birth Date:1982 1, mf=yes
Birth Place:Skopje, SR Macedonia, Yugoslavia
Nationality:n
Party:SDSM
Alma Mater:Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje
Native Name Lang:mk

Slavjanka Petrovska (Macedonian: Славјанка Петровска - Стани Цаци, pronounced in Macedonian pronounced as /'nikɔla 'ɡruɛfski/ (born January 11, 1982) is a Мacedonian politician who has been the Minister of Defense of North Macedonia from January 2022 – June 2024.

Early life and education

Slavjanka Petrovska was born on January 11, 1982, in Skopje.[1] She completed her schooling there before graduating in law from the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje in Skopje. She is a candidate for a master's in administrative law at the same institution.[2]

Career

Petrovska worked in the Secretariat on European Affairs from 2003 until 2006, then spent two years working at the Assembly on International Cooperation.[1] From 2008 until 2015, she worked for the National Council on Euro-Integration.[1]

Petrovska was in the Cabinet of the Minister of the Interior for two short stints in 2015 and 2016 and then Chief of Staff to the Minister from June 2017.[2] From January 2020 til July 2020 she was a Deputy Minister of Interior for the caretaker government before the July 2020 parliamentary elections.[2] She was then elected as a Member of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia for the ruling SDSM party, serving on the legislative, oversight, and national security committees.[2] [3]

Petrovska was appointed Minister of Defense by Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski on 17 January 2022.[2] [4] She said later that month that North Macedonia favoured a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine dispute. On 1 March, she announced that North Macedonia would donate military material and equipment to Ukraine.[5]

In June 2022, Petrovska attended the inaugural US-North Macedonia Strategic Dialogue in Washington DC[6] and in October 2022 she made a two-day official visit to Slovenia for bilateral talks.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Slavjanka Petrovska. Government of the Republic of North Macedonia. December 22, 2022.
  2. Web site: Minister of Defence of the Republic of North Macedonia. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.
  3. Web site: North Macedonia’s ruling SDSM and opposition VMRO-DPMNE battle for Skopje. BNE Intellinews. October 28, 2021. December 22, 2022. Valentina. Dimitrievska.
  4. Web site: List of North Macedonia cabinet nominees submitted to parliament. Euractiv. Zeljko. Trkanjec. January 12, 2022. December 22, 2022.
  5. Web site: North Macedonia to donate military equipment to Ukraine. Zeljko. Trkanjec. March 1, 2022. December 22, 2022. Euractiv.
  6. Web site: Readout of Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Colin Kahl's Meeting with Minister of Defense Slavjanka Petrovska of North Macedonia. June 3, 2022. December 22, 2022. US Department of Defense.
  7. Web site: Minister of Defence of the Republic of North Macedonia pays official visit to Slovenia. Republic of Slovenia. October 17, 2022. December 22, 2022.