March 27 (SeeNews) - North Macedonia officially became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after the deposition of its instrument of accession with the US State Department in Washington DC on Friday, the Alliance said.
“North Macedonia is now part of the NATO family, a family of thirty nations and almost one billion people. A family based on the certainty that, no matter what challenges we face, we are all stronger and safer together," NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said, as quoted in a statement.
A flag-raising ceremony for the country will take place at NATO headquarters on March 30.
The protocol on the accession of North Macedonia to NATO entered into force last Friday after it was ratified by all members of the alliance.
In February 2019, the protocol was ratified by the Greek parliament after it was signed by NATO, following a historic agreement between Skopje and Athens to change the name of the former Yugoslav republic.
Athens had blocked North Macedonia’s attempts to join NATO and the EU for 27 years over the country's name.
According to Greece, the previous name Republic of Macedonia implied territorial claims on the Greek northernmost province of the same name.