NATO and Macedonia signed a Protocol on accession to the Alliance
Representatives of NATO countries signed a Protocol on the accession of Macedonia under the new name of the organization. On 6 February in his Twitter wrote to the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“This day will go down in history. All NATO members have signed the Protocol on the accession of Macedonia, which will provide security and prosperity to the whole region. Looking forward to the day when the headquarters of NATO will develop 30 flags,” wrote Stoltenberg.
To ratify the Treaty to the parliaments of all countries-participants of the organization, and then most of Macedonia. As reported TASS, the procedure will be completed this year, and the country will formally become part of NATO, the 70th anniversary of the Alliance. However, the publication Balkan Insight points out that the process can take up to two years.
Greece more than 10 years, blocked the accession of Macedonia in NATO for years because of a dispute about the renaming of the country. Due to the political crisis in 1991, Macedonia under this name came from Yugoslavia. Greece believes that the country is not entitled to be called so because a large part of the historic region located on the territory of Greece. Athens demanded to rename the country to “Republic of North Macedonia”.
In June 2018, both sides signed an agreement on renaming of Macedonia, and on October 20 the decision on the name change approved by the Parliament. In early January of the relevant amendments made in the Constitution, and later with the decision agreed by the Greek Parliament. However, some politicians were strongly opposed to the name of the neighboring country was the word “Macedonia”. Because of this resignation left the foreign Ministry and the Ministry of defense of Greece.