SKOPJE (Macedonia), October 2 (SeeNews) – NATO is ready to welcome Macedonia as its 30th member state with accession talks expected to be concluded by January next year if the country implements its name deal with Greece, NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Tuesday.
"There is no other way to NATO membership," Stoltenberg said in statement ahead of the meetings of NATO defence ministers in Brussels.
Stoltenberg welcomed the ‘yes’ vote in Sunday's referendum in Macedonia on Skopje's agreement with Athens to change the name of the former Yugoslav republic to North Macedonia and thus open the door to the country's accession to NATO and the EU.
"It is up to Skopje to decide on the next steps," the secretary general of the Western military alliance said.
The referendum fell short of the 50% turnout needed for the vote to be valid. The vote was largely boycotted by Macedonia's opposition parties and the country's president. While turnout was 37%, however, more than 90% of those who voted gave a positive answer to the sole question “Do you support EU and NATO membership by accepting the deal between Macedonia and Greece?".
Now the name deal with Athens will go before the parliament in Skopje.
The will of the majority must now be confirmed by the parliament, Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in a statement after polls closed on Sunday. He will have to call an early general election if lawmakers fail to back the agreement with Greece by two-thirds majority required to change the constitution and hence the name of the country.
"Once all the constitutional changes on the new name are completed we can sign the accession protocol. Giving Skopje a seat at NATO’s table early next year," Stoltenberg said, urging all political leaders and parties to work together to seize this "historic opportunity".
On July 11, NATO decided to invite Macedonia to start accession talks. The talks have already started, Stoltenberg said.
The name 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 the proposed new name of North Macedonia.
Athens has blocked Macedonia’s attempts to join NATO and the EU for 27 years over the country's name. According to Greece, the current name Republic of Macedonia implies territorial claims on the Greek northernmost province of the same name.