ZAGREB: NATO member states’ ambassadors signed in Brussels on Thursday a protocol on Macedonia’s accession to the alliance.
Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov attended the signing. The ratification of the accession protocol in the member states is expected to last a year, after which Macedonia will become NATO’s 30th member.
Macedonia was blocked for years in its Euro-Atlantic integration by Greece due to a dispute over the former’s name.
Macedonia was expected to be invited to NATO at the 2008 summit in Bucharest at which Croatia was invited to join.
Thanks to an agreement between Prime Ministers Zoran Zaev of Macedonia and Alexis Tsipras of Greece, a compromise solution was found under which, in future, Macedonia will officially be called North Macedonia.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called today’s protocol signing historic. From now on, Macedonia will attend all NATO meetings as an observer.