site.btaNorth Macedonia Marks Fourth Anniversary of NATO Membership

The integration of the Republic of  North Macedonia into NATO and the EU is the best response to Russia's imperial ambitions, North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said at the celebration of the fourth anniversary of the country's NATO membership and the 75th anniversary of the Alliance, North Macedonia's Foreign Ministry said.

North Macedonia's NATO membership became a fact at a very appropriate moment, before the beginning of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, Osmani said. In this way, the country is not only a factor of stability in the region, but also an incentive for neighbouring countries that have the will and are ready to stand behind the common Euro-Atlantic values and goals, Osmani said.

Addressing the Diplomatic Corps in North Macedonia, the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Bojan Maricikj, said the country can proudly say that it has fulfilled the NATO membership dream of many generations and the fulfilment of the EU membership dream is now more real than ever.

"Today's circumstances confirm that we made the right decision, that we were on the right side. We have a strong justification for the great political sacrifices we made because they were valuable to the citizens and the state. Just as we did not give up on NATO, so, regardless of all the challenges, there is no giving up on the EU either. Just as we put the interests of the citizens and the state in the foreground as opposed to personal or party interests when we made the difficult decisions about NATO, we will do the same for our membership in the EU," Maricikj said. 

The government of the Republic of North Macedonia Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of the country's membership in the Alliance with a formal meeting.