US Ambassador to Macedonia: Macedonia to be admitted into NATO only after name issue is resolved

US Ambassador to Macedonia Philip Reeker said that NATO message from Bucharest is clear- Macedonia to be admitted into NATO only after name issue is resolved. He also expressed hope that Macedonian-Greek dispute will be resolved soon.

I think that the stance on name issue is well known. NATO was clear at the summit in Bucharest and at last year’s summit in Strasbourg and Kehl. The stances and the expectations are that Macedonia will receive an invitation for NATO membership as soon as name issue is solved. I hope that will happen soon, Reeker said.

Rekeer’s statement followed after Macedonian Minister of Defense Zoran Konjanovski said that Macedonia should be admitted into NATO under the provisional reference “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” if no resolution of name issue is reached.