North Macedonia to become NATO’s 30th member

  • The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on February 2, 2019 that its 29 members would on February 6, 2019 clear the way for North Macedonia to become the alliance’s 30th member, following its historic name change.
  • Macedonia will sign an accession protocol with NATO under its new name North Macedonia after parliaments in the tiny Balkan country and its southern neighbor Greece ratified a historic name change deal.
  • According to Stoltenberg, on February 6 they will write history: NATO Allies will sign the accession protocol with the future Republic of North Macedonia together with (Macedonian) foreign minister Nikola Dimitrov. The ceremony will take place at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
  • Greece had argued the country’s name infringed on its northern province, also called Macedonia, blocking the country’s membership in NATO and the European Union. The Greek parliament ratified the name change January 25.
  • The Greek parliament is expected to ratify the accession protocol by February 7 at the earliest or Feb. 11 at the latest. All 29 NATO members must ratify in order for Macedonia to join the alliance as its 30th member. This is expected to happen by the end of 2019 or the beginning of 2020.

About NATO

  • The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance of 29 countries from North America and Europe committed to fulfilling the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty signed on 4 April 1949.
  • In accordance with the Treaty, the fundamental role of NATO is to safeguard the freedom and security of its member countries by political and military means. NATO is playing an increasingly important role in crisis management and peacekeeping.
  • NATO Headquarters is the political and administrative centre of the Alliance. It is located at Boulevard Leopold III in Brussels, Belgium.

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