Slavjanka Petrovska
{{Short description|Macedonian Minister of Defense and politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Slavjanka Petrovska
| image = North Macedonia Minister of Defense Slavjanka Petrovska at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. on June 12, 2023 - 230612-D-PM193-1218 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Petrovska in 2023
| imagesize =
| office = Minister of Defense
| primeminister = Dimitar Kovačevski
| term_start = January 17, 2022
| term_end = June 23, 2024
| predecessor = Radmila Šekerinska
| successor = Vlado Misajlovski
| office1 = Member of the Macedonian Assembly
| term_start1 = 2020
| term_end1 = 2022
| term_start2 = 2024
| term_end2 =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1982|01|11}}
| birth_place = Skopje, SR Macedonia, Yugoslavia
{{small|(now North Macedonia)}}
| nationality = {{flag|Macedonia}}n
| party = SDSM
| website =
| alma_mater = Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje
| native_name = {{nobold|Славјанка Петровска}}
| native_name_lang = mk
}}
Slavjanka Petrovska ({{langx|mk|Славјанка Петровска Стани-Цаци }}), (born January 11, 1982) is a Мacedonian politician who has been the Minister of Defense of North Macedonia from January 2022 – June 2024.
Early life and education
Slavjanka Petrovska was born on January 11, 1982, in Skopje.{{cite web|url=https://vlada.mk/node/27580?ln=en-gb|title=Slavjanka Petrovska|publisher=Government of the Republic of North Macedonia|access-date=December 22, 2022}} She completed her schooling there before graduating in law from the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje in Skopje. She is a candidate for a master's in administrative law at the same institution.{{cite web|url=https://shape.nato.int/upcoming-events/nato-communicators-conference-2022/biographies/minister-of-defence-of-the-republic-of-north-macedonia|title=Minister of Defence of the Republic of North Macedonia|publisher=Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe}}
Career
Petrovska worked in the Secretariat on European Affairs from 2003 until 2006, then spent two years working at the Assembly on International Cooperation. From 2008 until 2015, she worked for the National Council on Euro-Integration.
Petrovska was in the Cabinet of the Minister of the Interior for two short stints in 2015 and 2016 and then Chief of Staff to the Minister from June 2017. From January 2020 til July 2020 she was a Deputy Minister of Interior for the caretaker government before the July 2020 parliamentary elections. She was then elected as a Member of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia for the ruling SDSM party, serving on the legislative, oversight, and national security committees.{{cite web|url=https://www.intellinews.com/north-macedonia-s-ruling-sdsm-and-opposition-vmro-dpmne-battle-for-skopje-225183/|title=North Macedonia’s ruling SDSM and opposition VMRO-DPMNE battle for Skopje|publisher=BNE Intellinews|date=October 28, 2021|access-date=December 22, 2022|first=Valentina|last=Dimitrievska}}
Petrovska was appointed Minister of Defense by Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski on 17 January 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/list-of-north-macedonia-cabinet-nominees-submitted-to-parliament/|title=List of North Macedonia cabinet nominees submitted to parliament|publisher=Euractiv|first=Zeljko|last=Trkanjec|date=January 12, 2022|access-date=December 22, 2022}} She said later that month that North Macedonia favoured a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine dispute. On 1 March, she announced that North Macedonia would donate military material and equipment to Ukraine.{{cite web|url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/north-macedonia-to-donate-military-equipment-to-ukraine/|title=North Macedonia to donate military equipment to Ukraine|first=Zeljko|last=Trkanjec|date=March 1, 2022|access-date=December 22, 2022|publisher=Euractiv}}
In June 2022, Petrovska attended the inaugural US-North Macedonia Strategic Dialogue in Washington DC{{cite web|url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3052897/readout-of-under-secretary-of-defense-for-policy-dr-colin-kahls-meeting-with-mi/|title=Readout of Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Colin Kahl's Meeting with Minister of Defense Slavjanka Petrovska of North Macedonia|date=June 3, 2022|access-date=December 22, 2022|publisher=US Department of Defense}} and in October 2022 she made a two-day official visit to Slovenia for bilateral talks.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.si/en/news/2022-10-17-minister-of-defence-of-the-republic-of-north-macedonia-pays-official-visit-to-slovenia/|publisher=Republic of Slovenia|title=Minister of Defence of the Republic of North Macedonia pays official visit to Slovenia|date=October 17, 2022|access-date=December 22, 2022}}
References
{{commonscat|Slavjanka Petrovska}}
{{reflist}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrovska, Slavjanka}}
{{Defence Ministers of the Republic of Macedonia |state=collapsed}}
Category:Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje alumni
Category:Politicians from Skopje
Category:Social Democratic Union of Macedonia politicians
Category:Members of the Assembly of North Macedonia
Category:Ministers of defence of North Macedonia