SKOPJE (Macedonia), June 29 (SeeNews) – NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday he expects the heads of state and government of the countries of the Alliance will invite Macedonia to start accession talks in July.
However, without the finalisation of the agreement with Greece on the name issue, Macedonia cannot join NATO in the foreseeable future, Stoltenberg said in a press release, following a meeting with Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in NATO headquarters in Brussels.
“So this is a historic opportunity which cannot be missed,” Stoltenberg said, adding that the agreement sets an example for others across the region on how to consolidate peace and stability.
He also said once all national procedures have been completed to finalise the agreement, Macedonia will join NATO.
“NATO’s door is open, and you are now on the doorstep. You have already shown your commitment to international peace and security, working with NATO… And you are contributing to continuing stability in the Western Balkans,” Stoltenberg noted.
Earlier this week, Macedonia's president Gjorge Ivanov refused to sign into law the ratification of the agreement with Greece on resolving the 27-year old dispute between Skopje and Athens over the name of the former Yugoslav republic.
The ratification of the agreement by the Macedonian parliament was not carried out in accordance with the constitution, Gjorge Ivanov said in a statement.
The agreement envisaging to change the country's name to North Macedonia was ratified on June 20.
The deal was signed on June 17 by the foreign ministers of Macedonia and Greece Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Kotzias, paving the way for the former Yugoslav republic to join NATO and the European Union under its new name of North Macedonia. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Zaev, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras and senior representatives of the European Commission.
Athens has blocked Macedonia’s attempts to join NATO and the EU over the country's name, which according to Greece allegedly implies territorial clams on the Greek northernmost province of the same name.