Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray and Secretary of Commerce and Community Development Lindsay Kurrle will join Major General Greg Knight of the Vermont National Guard on a visit to North Macedonia from May 30 to June 3, 2021 as part of the State Partnership Program, the US Embassy in Skopje said in a press release.

Building on the 28-year partnership between North Macedonia and the Vermont National Guard, the delegation will meet with government and business representatives, to discuss opportunities for expanding military-to-military partnership and economic prospects between North Macedonia and Vermont.  As part of their trip, Lieutenant Governor Gray, Secretary of Commerce Kurrle, and Major General Greg Knight will attend the Decisive Strike 21 Distinguished Visitors Day and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi, Minister of Defense Radmila Shekerinska, Minister of Health Venko Filipche, and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Economy Arianit Hoxha.

The State Partnership Program pairs U.S. states with countries to provide security and spark economic ties. The Vermont State Partnership Program with North Macedonia began in 1993 and has included yearly military-to-military short duration and limited scope engagements, partnered exercise participation, and a co-deployment to Afghanistan in 2010 where North Macedonia units reported directly to the 86th Brigade headquarters.  Additionally, the State Partnership Program has evolved to include medical and disaster response engagements. The current exploration of economic partnerships between Vermont and North Macedonia is a logical and exciting evolution of the program, reads the press release.