Former SDSM party leader Radmila Sekerinska was named Deputy Secretary General of NATO. The announcement was made by Secretary General Mark Rutte today.

Sekerinska held EU integration associated positions in the Macedonian Government under SDSM, and was most recently Defense Minister and deputy leader of SDSM under the Zaev regime. She’s seen as the leader of the urban wing of the SDSM party but her one attempt to lead SDSM in elections ended in disaster in 2008, in elections marked by opposition from Macedonians to joining NATO under the humiliating terms sought by Greece.

Sekerinska withdrew from the Zaev Government and from domestic politics a year before the latest elections that dealt another disastrous defeat to SDSM. In the meantime, was named as one of the deputy leaders of the PES party of European socialists.

US ambassador to Macedonia Angela Aggeler congratulated Sekerinska today on her appointment, calling it proof of her expertise and experience, and of the role of Macedonia as a valued NATO partner.