NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated today that the implementation of the name agreement with Greece is the only way to Macedonia’s NATO membership, and that there is no other way or plan B for the country’s admission to the military alliance.
“NATO is ready to accept Macedonia as the 30th member very soon after the implementation of the name agreement, but it is up to the citizens of Macedonia and its democratic institutions whether they will do it or not. We are ready. There is no plan B or an alternative to accession without the name agreement,” said Stoltenberg in a joint address to reporters with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic after the opening of emergency rescue exercises “Serbia 2018” in Belgrade.
Stoltenberg said that NATO fully respects the war neutrality of Serbia and again regrets what he said about innocent victims of the 1999 bombing.
“We can not forget the past, but we can go further into the future,” Stoltenberg said, adding that partnership will benefit both Serbia and NATO.
Vucic said that Serbia is militarily neutral and that it will “jealously guard it”, but that it will not prevent it from having good cooperation with NATO.
