Reactions to Macedonia’s NATO Membership

NATO Sec Gen Jens Stoltenberg congratulated Macedonia on becoming the 30^th member-state of NATO. “North Macedonia is the newest NATO member-state, after all 29 members approved its accession in the Alliance, and they officially submitted the ratified Protocol to Washington. On this occasion, the flag of North Macedonia will be hoisted in front of the NATO Headquarters on 30 March,” Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo congratulated Macedonia on this success. “NATO is an organisation that has been keeping the peace for more than 70 years, and the accession of North Macedonia is the result of the efforts made by the government of North Macedonia in the past 30 years. The doors of NATO remain open for other countries intending to join after North Macedonia,” Pompeo said. The president of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen also congratulated Macedonia on the accession in NATO. “Congratulations, North Macedonia, this was well deserved. I am now waiting for North Macedonia to start the membership negotiations with the EU, after all EU member-states gave green light for this,” said the EC President. Congratulations also came from the Greek Foreign Ministry. “We congratulate North Macedonia on its accession in NATO, we hope for and we expect constructive cooperation within the frameworks of the Alliance,” they write from the Greek Foreign Ministry.