Outgoing Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said at the “NATO Engages” conference in London that Macedonia, which should become a full-fledged member of the Alliance in the coming months, would reach a rate of 2 percent GDP share for defense in 2024, and maybe even earlier.

In the last two and a half years we have doubled defense spending, from 0.8 percent now we stand at 1.4 percent and our goal is to reach 2 percent in 2024, and we will reach that rate even earlier, the outgoing prime minister said at the conference.

The outgoing prime minister reminded that Macedonia is not yet a full member and that the increase in the defense budget rate began two and a half years ago.