NATO Sec Gen: Membership Invitation to Arrive once Name deal is Finalised

In an interview with MIA, NATO Sec Gen Jens Stoltenberg, asked about the procedure in terms of how Macedonia will get an invitation at the Summit in July, says that the Alliance has already made a decision that Macedonia will be invited once the name issue is resolved. As he adds, that decision was made in Bucharest in 2008. Stoltenberg points out that the invitation will arrive once the agreement is finalised in the two countries. According to the NATO Sec Gen, the Alliance will try to find a way to show by the Summit that it adheres to that decision because it recognises the importance of the deal. “At the same time, I think what is important now is that the agreement is finalised both in Skopje and in Athens and the agreement is quite comprehensive also when it comes to exactly the sequence of the different decisions, ratification, referendum and all that. So, I hope that that can go as fast as possible because that can enable us to then go on with the accession talks as soon as possible,” Stoltenberg points out. The NATO Sec Gen describes the agreement as historic and very important for the two countries, but also for the whole of Europe.