On April 27, 2017, Radmila Shekerinska endured the darkest day of her political career. During her tenure as a lawmaker with North Macedonia’s Social Democratic Union (SDSM), a violent mob stormed the parliament, targeting opposition lawmakers amid a tense power transition. Talat Xhaferi, an ethnic Albanian and former defense minister, had just been elected as the new speaker, ending the near decade-long dominance of the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party.
Outraged by the power shift, supporters of the outgoing party breached the parliamentary chamber, leaving a trail of destruction and injuring around 100 people, including lawmakers and journalists. During the attack, Shekerinska was targeted for being one of the most prominent figures in the opposition at the time. In chaotic footage that circulated widely, one of the protesters yanked Shekerinska’s hair—a violent act that later resulted in a four-year prison sentence.
However, nearly eight years later, in November 2024, Shekerinska reached the pinnacle of her career by being appointed deputy secretary-general of NATO. The achievement is not only a personal triumph, but also a moment of pride for North Macedonia and a strategic signal to the rest of Europe that the often-overlooked Western Balkans region could have a more prominent role in shaping NATO’s future.
Shekerinska’s appointment comes at a critical time for both the Western Balkans and NATO, as geopolitical tensions intensify in Eastern Europe amid ongoing security challenges and a third year of war in Ukraine. Russia’s persistence in Ukraine, rising ethnic confrontations in the region, and an evolving security landscape due to Kosovo’s uncertain statehood status and secessionist threats in Bosnia and Herzegovina have prompted NATO to strengthen its collective defense, with a particular focus on its eastern flank that encompasses much of the Western Balkans.
Despite some progress during the past three decades, the region remains prone to instability and weak governance, with nationalism driven by territorial disputes, economic tensions, and ethnic and religious divides.
NATO officials anticipated that the deputy chief role would go to a Central or Eastern European political figure, following the five-year term of Romanian politician Mircea Geoana. Further acknowledging the efforts of NATO’s eastern flank, Shekerinska’s selection was notable, especially given the competition from Bulgaria’s former Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel.
Also a two-time European commissioner, Gabriel held various key positions in previous Bulgarian governments. Choosing someone with a deep understanding of the Western Balkans now gives NATO leadership valuable regional insight and provides the area with a representative who understands how regional divisions and complexities can impact broader strategic priorities.
Shekerinska has built her career with steady momentum. Her political influence began early as she rose through the ranks of the SDSM. She was pivotal in negotiating landmark agreements for the small Balkan nation. One of the first was the 2001 Ohrid Framework Agreement, which ended a violent internal conflict by establishing greater rights for ethnic Albanians and laying the foundation for political stability.
The agreement ensured the full integration of ethnic groups, whose participation had previously depended on the largest ethnic community—a situation still troubling for countries in the region.
“The success of the Ohrid Framework Agreement very much depended and was a result of a unified position of the West—the EU, the US and NATO. The swift response and this unified approach was the beginning of the success. I think the same necessity exists today,” Shekerinska said in 2021 after being asked about the importance of the agreement for the region.
In 2002, she became deputy prime minister for European integration efforts. Shekerinska’s leadership, specifically focused on the reforms required for European integration, was instrumental in securing North Macedonia’s European Union candidate status in 2005—a milestone the country maintains as the accession negotiations continue.
VMRO-DPMNE has heavily criticized Shekerinska in the past, including accusations of embezzlement while she was defense minister and claims that she abused her position to advance party interests, facilitated employment for SDSM loyalists in key government institutions, engaged in improper financial dealings benefiting individuals close to her. However, her NATO appointment is now praised by VMRO-DPMNE, which is North Macedonia’s current ruling party and is led by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.
As Mickoski recently noted, despite differences with Shekerinska on issues, policies, and ideologies, the government felt it needed to support her for the NATO post amid candidates from other countries.
“We had no doubt that we should support Radmila Shekerinska for NATO deputy secretary-general, because we often call for unity and dialogue with the opposition. And if you call for it but don’t act on it—then you’re hypocritical,” Mickoski said when asked about Shekerinska’s new role.
The Ohrid Framework Agreement wasn’t the only time Shekerinska played a pivotal role in ushering North Macedonia into global alliances. During her time as defense minister from 2017 until 2022, she was an essential player in the 2018 Prespa Agreement with Greece, which resolved the decades-long name dispute that had blocked the country’s path to international recognition under its constitutional name. This led directly to its renaming as “North Macedonia” and paved the way for its NATO membership.
Shekerinska oversaw comprehensive defense reforms that enabled North Macedonia to complete its military integration in under 19 months after joining as NATO’s 30th member in 2020, making it, as Shekerinska claimed, the fastest military integration in the alliance at the time. Under her leadership, North Macedonia actively contributed troops to key NATO missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan.
The Western Balkans remain politically fragmented, facing persistent challenges such as tensions in Kosovo and Bosnia, as well as uneven progress toward Euro-Atlantic integration. In her new role at NATO, Shekerinska can serve as a unifying figure, showing that leaders from the region can attain influential positions in international institutions by pursuing pragmatic, reform-oriented policies.
Shekerinska’s NATO appointment also offers the Western Balkans a valuable opportunity to influence the alliance’s strategic direction from within, something that gives the region a stronger voice on challenges it has faced repeatedly—including hybrid threats and external influence.
The role of NATO’s deputy secretary-general has gained significance over the past decade. The primary responsibility is to stand in for the secretary-general and to chair meetings of the North Atlantic Council’s 32 ambassadors twice a week or during any emergency sessions, including the NATO-Ukraine Council. This elevated role positions Shekerinska not only as a key decision-maker within the alliance but also as a crucial link between NATO and Ukraine.
Over the three-year conflict, Western Balkan countries have reacted in different ways to Russia’s attempts to assert control over its Western-oriented neighbor. While leaders in Croatia and North Macedonia have firmly condemned the invasion, Serbia—the region’s largest economy—has remained sympathetic toward Moscow. This hasn’t divided the region so far, but there are some signs of potential rifts.
North Macedonia has emerged as one of Kyiv’s most steadfast supporters in the region, consistently aligning with NATO’s unified stance against Russian aggression. In light of U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent turn away from supporting Ukraine and the clear rift between his administration and European allies on how to end the war, Shekerinska has been adamant that “NATO is determined to support Ukraine through the challenges ahead.”
“There are North Korean troops fighting in Europe. Iran is supplying missiles and deadly drones to Russia. And China is feeding Russia’s war machine. They and others will take note of any deal to end this terrible aggression. So we must ensure that Russia will never again try to take one more kilometer of Ukrainian land,” Shekerinska remarked.
Despite its small size, North Macedonia is among the top four NATO countries in terms of military aid to Ukraine on a per capita basis. It has provided around 30 T-72 tanks, 12 Mi-24 attack helicopters, four Su-25 attack aircraft, and substantial ammunition and other critical equipment. While such developments underscore the influence that smaller allies can wield within the alliance, it also sends a clear message to Kyiv—NATO’s solidarity extends across all its members, with even the smallest nations contributing to the collective effort.
One of the key issues on NATO’s agenda is increasing members’ defense contributions, reflecting a new reality for the alliance. Shekerinska’s own vision here aligns with what the Trump administration has consistently advocated: greater burden-sharing among NATO allies to enhance collective security.
Following Trump’s recent attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the involvement of Russia in the negotiations to end the war, Shekerinska reaffirmed her commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and NATO’s role in the peace process. After recent high-level talks in Paris, she underscored the urgency of battlefield support and the need for a united front from Europe, the United States, and Ukraine to secure lasting peace. “We cannot have a Minsk 3.0,” she stated.
“It is clear that changes in the world show that to prevent a future war, you must be prepared for that war,” Shekerinska said in an interview with local media in North Macedonia. “We must be ready to repel an attack. We must be prepared so as not to give any ideas to those who believe that crossing a border could mean conquering foreign territory, especially if that territory is part of the alliance. So, yes, this is a part of the alliance’s defense policy.”
While Shekerinska’s support for Ukraine is clear, North Macedonia’s government has adopted a more cautious stance, as seen in its votes on two United Nations resolutions on the war. The country abstained on the EU-drafted resolution but co-sponsored the U.S.-drafted one, which called for an end to the conflict but did not contain any criticism of Russia. Nevertheless, Mickoski insists that North Macedonia remains “aligned with the EU’s foreign and defense policy.”
Shekerinska’s appointment also highlights the potential of the Western Balkans—a region marked by war and turmoil in the 1990s and early 2000s—when it embraces reform and aligns with trans-Atlantic values. It signals that the region is no longer a peripheral observer but a strategic partner on the global stage, especially through committed NATO members such as North Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro.
“Many European countries have forgotten to think about the question of war or peace,” Shekerinska said in an interview with local media in North Macedonia. “They don’t realize that the moment you lose stability and peace, nothing else matters. We still remember that.”
For the Western Balkans, Shekerinska’s appointment is an opportunity to redefine its role in European and global security, moving from the margins to a position of influence. For NATO, Shekerinska brings valuable leadership experience and a track record of consensus-building and effective policymaking. For Ukraine, her new role serves to reinforce NATO’s unity, emphasizing that support comes from all members, regardless of size or geography.
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