Claiming that North Macedonia is not a sovereign state because it is a NATO member is, to say the least, nonsense. The sovereignty of a given state does not depend on membership in unions. In fact, if this claim was true, then would other NATO members be less sovereign as well? It is also not true that we are less secure than before becoming a NATO member-state, because now our security is not an issue only for us, but also for the other 31 NATO member-states. Article 5 of the NATO Treaty guarantees that if we were to be attacked, all NATO member-states would defend us,writes Truthmeter.
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A post on Facebook claims that due to our NATO membership, our security has diminished and we are not a sovereign country. Both claims are untrue.
Due to NATO membership, this is no longer Macedonian, nor a state. Instead of a sovereign state, we are now a battlefield for all neighbors thereby less secure…
How did it increase our security when we gave up arms in favor of Ukraine? Our security was not an issue even before membership, but now the defense capacity of the country is reduced to nothing, specifies the post.
After the Second World War, the USA, Canada, and 10 European countries established NATO as a collective defense treaty. The primary purpose of the treaty was to counter the power and influence of the Soviet Union and its allies at the time. On the 27th of March 2020, the Republic of North Macedonia became the 30th NATO member-state, thereby fulfilling one of the most important strategic aims of the country, unanimously agreed and adopted by the Parliament back in 1993.
Claiming that North Macedonia is not a sovereign state because it is a NATO member is, to say the least, nonsense. The sovereignty of a given state does not depend on membership in unions. In fact, if this claim was true, then would other NATO members be less sovereign as well? An absolutely illogical claim. Our country’s sovereignty is rooted in our Constitution, specifically in the first article of the basic provisions and that does not change when you become a fully-fledged member of the NATO Alliance.
Article 1
The Republic of Macedonia is a sovereign, independent, democratic, and social state. The sovereignty of the Republic of Macedonia is indivisible, inalienable, and non-transferable.
Article 2
Sovereignty in the Republic of Macedonia derives from the citizens and belongs to the citizens. The citizens of the Republic of Macedonia exercise their authority through democratically elected Representatives, through referendum, and through other forms of direct expression.
The claim that “we are now a battlefield for all neighbors and thereby less secure” is also not true. On the contrary. With NATO membership, the security and stability in our region significantly improved. Now we have closer cooperation with our neighbors who are NATO members, as well as closer cooperation with other Allies in our region.
It is also not true that we are less secure than before becoming a NATO member-state, because now our security is not an issue only for us, but also for the other 31 NATO member-states, some of the strongest military and economic powers in the world. Article 5 of the NATO Treaty guarantees that if we were to be attacked, all NATO member-states would defend us.
According to Article 5, if a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, NATO must respond with actions it deems necessary, including the use of armed force to maintain the security of the North-Atlantic area. To date, NATO has applied Article 5 only once, following the series of attacks from 11 September 2001, when the terrorist group Al-Qaeda attacked the USA. Then, all NATO members stood behind America as though they were attacked themselves.
The aim of NATO as an international alliance is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members by political and military means.
Politically – NATO promotes democratic values and provides an opportunity for members to consult and cooperate on issues related to defense and security for problem-solving, confidence-building, and, in the long term, conflict prevention.
If diplomatic actions fail, NATO has the military power to undertake crisis management operations. They are evoked under the collective defense clause of the NATO founding Treaty – Article 5 of the Washington Agreement or based on a mandate of the United Nations, individually or in cooperation with other countries and international organizations.
It is also not true that we gave up our armament in favor of Ukraine with NATO membership.
The truth is that for some of the old equipment, such as tanks, “Sukhoi” aircraft, obsolete since 2004, and Mi24 helicopters, a decision was adopted to donate them to Ukraine since it was facing an invasion from Russia. But that does not mean that we are left without armament. This equipment was old, while the Army will gradually modernize itself with new Western armament. A great part of this procurement will not be purchased with budgetary funds, but with the assistance of the NATO Allies, above all, from the USA.
One of the most significant procurements is the purchase of 8 multipurpose military helicopters of Western manufacture to substitute the 12 helicopters Mi-24 that were donated to Ukraine and were not used for years. This will be the largest procurement of military equipment since the conflict in 2001.
The Army is transforming, modernizing, and equipping itself with the most sophisticated armament and that is the reason why there is no room for equipment produced in 1984 that has been just a number for years, but in effect is obsolete, stated the Defence Minister Slavjanka Petrovska.
Armored vehicles “Javelin” and “Stryker”, anti-aircraft defense systems from France and artillery systems from Turkey, helicopters, and sophisticated drones are part of the equipment that the Army will procure in the upcoming period to achieve ”full interoperability with the armies of NATO partner countries”.
For quite a long period now anti-NATO propaganda has been ongoing by demonizing the organization with no argument whatsoever. This especially intensified after NATO condemned the Russian brutal and unprovoked military aggression in Ukraine, which is an independent and democratic state and a close NATO partner.
Due to all of the above-noted facts, we assess the claim expressed in the post fact-checked as untrue.
