Skopje government must resolve name issue before NATO, says US state department official

On a visit to Skopje, top US state department official says that the name dispute between Greece and Macedonia must be resolved before Macedonia can join NATO.

Philip Reeker, US deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, said on Wednesday that despite a recent court ruling in favour of Macedonia, Skopje and Athens must reach a solution to their name dispute before Macedonia can join the alliance.

“The ruling of the ICJ is the ruling of the International Court of Justice. It is very much a fact. On the other hand NATO – the North Atlantic treaty- is itself a law that requires consensus,” Reeker said after his meeting with Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

“The obligations that membership in NATO requires mean that existing members as well as new members must be comfortable and all agree to do that,” he added.