[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2161]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    CELEBRATING VERMONT'S PARTNERSHIP WITH THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETER WELCH

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 13, 2008

  Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, Vermont is proud to welcome 
General Miroslav Stojanovski, Chief of Staff of the Army of the 
Republic of Macedonia. General Stojanovski's visit is the latest step 
in a long history of partnership between Vermont and Macedonia.
  Established in 1995 through the State Partnership Program of the 
U.S.-European Command, the partnership began as primarily a military-
to-military relationship between the Macedonian Army and the Vermont 
National Guard. This military partnership has resulted in over 540 
joint events that have included over 6,000 members of the Macedonian 
Army. In September 2006, Vermont National Guard troops and their 
Macedonian Army counterparts carried out a major, 2-week-long, small-
unit exchange exercise to support the professionalization of the 
Macedonian military in its transformation to meet NATO interoperability 
standards.
  Vermonters' engagement with Macedonia has expanded into civil affairs 
as well, including the establishment of university partnerships, 
economic development discussions, and support for the Macedonian youth 
baseball organization.
  In May 2007, the University of Vermont signed an agreement with the 
SS Cyril and Methodius University to promote collaborative scientific 
research, joint conferences and workshops, and faculty and student 
exchanges.
  Vermonters have also played an important role in bringing baseball, 
our national pastime, to Macedonia. C.J. Knudsen, the general manager 
of the Vermont Lake Monsters minor league baseball team traveled to 
Macedonia to deliver gloves, balls, bats, uniforms, and other equipment 
to help start the country's first little league.
  Macedonia has made incredible strides since its independence in 1991, 
achieving membership in the United Nations, the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe, the World Trade Organization, and 
to NATO's Partnership for Peace and Membership Action Plan. Macedonia 
is a candidate for European Union membership and may soon be invited as 
a full member of NATO, hopefully as soon as April of this year. I look 
forward to the continued strengthening of the United States and 
especially Vermont's partnership with the Republic of Macedonia.

                          ____________________