Diana Mazepa

The end of 2019 brought reports of a new disease emerging in China. At the end of the year, the first SARS‑CoV‑2 infections were recorded in the Hubei province, and in January it began to appear in other regions of the world, including Europe. On 11 III 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new disease as a pandemic.

The coronavirus highlighted the vulnerabilities and imperfections of state systems regardless of latitude and world position. In order to deal with the spreading virus and at the same time to prevent economic and social collapses, states imposed numerous restrictions on citizens. North Macedonia was also in the same situation, and the purpose of this article is to present the situation in the context of government initiatives taken in the period from January 2020 to June 2021.

Cybersecurity of states and international organizations is one of the most priority issues in the world at the time. The dynamically developing IT systems and the global reach of the Internet, reaching both individual users as well as public administrations and transnational corporations has not only significantly facilitated the storage, sharing or exchange of information, but also the place of criminal attacks and threats to sensitive data in network. Accordingly, national and non-national actors try to constantly monitor threats stem from cyber space, prevent them or mitigate their effects, so as not to jeopardize the security of them and their citizens or members. This situation also takes place in the Republic of North Macedonia, which in 2018, in cooperation with international partners and extensive public consultations in the country, announced the first National Cyber Security Strategy for 2018-2022. This article aims to analyze the content contained in the above document and the Action Plan attached to it and to approximate the objectives contained therein.

The Republic of North Macedonia is a small country on the Balkan Peninsula, which is characterized by the accumulation of many national and ethnic and religious groups in a small area (25 713 km2) – among them are Macedonians, Albanians, Turks, Roma, Vlachs, Serbs or Bosnians, as well as other smaller nationalities and ethnic groups. This article aims to present the origins of the Turks in Northern Macedonia, and at the same time to indicate the reasons for emigration from these areas and to present political parties and organizations representing the interests of Turks and their most important activities for the benefit of this minority. The article also analyze Turkish-Macedonian relations ranging from the proclamation of Macedonian independence to the accession of the Republic of Northern Macedonia to the structures of the NATO in 2020.