Visits

Ljubljana, 15-16 July 2013

On 15-16 July 2013 three representatives of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information accomplished a Study Visit to the National Security Authority of Slovenia, organized with support of the European Commission TAIEX instrument.

The topic of the Study Visit was the development of the NSA Cloud project from the aspect of preparation of the project documentation and its practical implementation.

Skopje, May 30, 2011

The visit of the US negotiating team (the National Disclosure Policy Committee (NDPC) security team), which was scheduled for the period from 9 to 13 May 2011, will be accomplished in the period from 20 to 24 June 2011. Within the bilateral negotiation process between the Republic of Macedonia and the USA for entering into a General Security Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), the visit of the NDPC team will include a number of meetings with representatives of the relevant services in the Republic of Macedonia and a visit to a domestic company involved in the special production for defence purposes.

Ohrid, 16-17 May 2011

Dr. Jochen Rehrl, a representative of the Ministry of Defence and Sports of the Republic of Austria, visited the Republic of Macedonia on 16-17 May 2011. The visit was accomplished within the preparations for the first High Level Conference of the EU member countries and the EU candidate countries to be held in the period from 12 to 15 September 2011 in Ohrid, in co-organization of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information (DSCI) and the European Security and Defence College, within the 2011 Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Training Program.

Upon a request of Dr. Rehrl, the working meeting with the DSCI Director, was held in Ohrid in order for the guest to be acquainted with the event venue. After the possibilities offered by Ohrid and the Inex Gorica A.D. hotel had been determined, the draft agenda including the discussion topics was agreed on, as well as the inviting procedure. It was also agreed the event in September to be held under the title “High Level Conference: Europe’s Security Policy - Diplomacy, Defence and Development”.

The preparations for the high level conference are ongoing and in a short time the list of the lecturers will be finalised. It will include representatives of state organs and academic institutions, as well as concrete executives in certain defence missions and operations that the EU member countries and the EU candidate countries participate in.

Ljubljana, 11-12 May 2011

Upon the invitation of the National Security Authority (NSA) of the Republic of Slovenia, bilateral talks on the implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia on the Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information, signed on March 31, 2010 in Skopje and entered into force on January 1, 2011, were held in Ljubljana on 11-12 May 2011.

The talks included discussions on a number of issues related to the practical application of the provisions of the bilateral agreement in the mutual cooperation of the competent services of the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Slovenia in the field of the classified information and of the vetting procedures for the users of the classified information. Furthermore, opinions were exchanged on the possibility to extend the so called international assistance, i.e. the legal assistance during the vetting of the citizens belonging to one’s own country and residing or working in another country. Also, the Slovenian party briefed the Macedonian delegation on its activities within the Multinational Industrial Security Working Group (MISWG) and on its initiative the Republic of Macedonia to receive the status of observer, after which it could become a full-fledged member of the working group.

During the discussions the two parties also shared experiences on their cooperation with the other countries in the region and wider in Europe, as well as their opinions on the possibility to establish a communication link among the national security authorities of the countries in the former Yugoslav republics and wider in the Balkans.

Skopje, May 4, 2011

The visit of the US negotiating team (the National Disclosure Policy Committee (NDPC) security team), planned at first to take place at the beginning of May 2011 and then moved to the period from 2 to 6 May 2011, has been postponed upon a request of the US team due to their reasons. The US Embassy in Skopje has announced the coming of an additional proposal for a timeframe for accomplishing the visit within the bilateral negotiation process between the Republic of Macedonia and the USA for entering into a General Security Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

Brussels, March 2011

At the end of March 2011 in Brussels, upon the invitation of the Heads of DGA-SSCIS Information Assurance Unit and the DGA-SSCIS Security of Sensitive-CIS Unit, Mr. Ulrich Van Essen and Mr. Sebastian Léonnet, and in the presence of Mr. Stefan Wittmann, employee at the Information Assurance Office, the Director of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information (DSCI) had a meeting at the EU Council General Secretariat at which discussions were held on the new EU security regulation passed after the Lisbon Treaty, concerning the bilateral agreement with the U on exchange of classified information and the security arrangements for its implementation.

Furthermore, the discussion also included the information security processes underway in the EU member countries, the security of crypto-communication systems, as well as the implementation processes of these systems for the necessities of the DSCI in the work and the support that they were ready to offer in the area of the information assurance and crypto-protection. At the meeting, the DSCI Director received a certain amount of relevant EU materials concerning the issues on information assurance and crypto-protection.

Brussels, March 2011

Upon a request of the the Director of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information (DSCI), at the end of March 2011, a meeting and discussions were held in Brussels with the new NATO Office of Security Director, Mr. Stephen Smith and with Dr. Giuseppe Benassi, the Head of Policy (NOS/POB). The discussions included topics on the current issues related to the DSCI functioning, implementation of the Partnership Goal G 0360 I, as well as the ongoing activities in 2011. The NOS Director underlined that the good cooperation and the support to the DSCI would continue in the future and that all reports up to now have shown that the DSCI has achieved progress in its work related to the NATO classified information.

Skopje, March 2011

Within the activities for entering into an agreement with the USA on the exchange and protection of classified information, preparations are ongoing for the visit of the US negotiating team (the National Disclosure Policy Committee (NDPC) security team) to the Republic of Macedonia to be accomplished from 2 to 6 May 2011.

This visit will represent the second phase of the bilateral negotiation process between the Republic of Macedonia and the USA for entering into a General Security Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

Skopje, April 2009

Upon invitation of the Director of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information (DSCI), a delegation of the Directorate for Security of Secret Data of the Republic of Montenegro visited the Republic of Macedonia in April 2009. During the discussions the DSCI representatives conveyed their knowledge and experiences to the Montenegrin colleagues concerning the development of the DSCI. Furthermore, the established contacts from the highest, directorial level to the expert level opened up possibilities for closer cooperation between the two Directorates.

Skopje, March 2009

Upon an initiative of the Directorate for Security of Classified Information (DSCI) for entering into negotiations for signing a bilateral agreement on exchange and mutual protection of classified information between the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Government of the United States of America, Mr. Peter Batten, Director of the International Security Programs within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, in March 2009 came in official visit to the Directorate.