North Macedonia Ministry of Defense responds to DUI allegations

The North Macedonian Ministry of Defense has responded to allegations from the DUI political party regarding the lack of ethnic Albanian representation at the “General Mihailo Apostolski” Military Academy.

Out of 99 total applicants for 29 cadet positions, 46 candidates met the selection criteria. The Ministry reported that the applicant pool consisted of 95 Macedonians, two ethnic Albanians, one Roma, and one Vlach. Regarding the two Albanian applicants, the Ministry stated that one withdrew from the procedure and the other placed 43rd on the ranking list, which was outside the 29 available spots.

The Ministry characterized the DUI allegations as “populist and generalized,” arguing they promote inter-ethnic intolerance rather than factual discussion. Officials emphasized that while they value proper representation, they will not deviate from the principle of selecting the most qualified personnel to ensure state and citizen security. The Ministry noted that for adequate representation to exist, citizens of various ethnic backgrounds must apply to the transparent public competitions.