The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the 29 NATO allies - including Greece - signed the country's protocol of accession to the organisation on Wednesday 6 February.
"Today (February 6; Editor's note) is a special day (...) it is a historic day for your country and a day of pride for all of us”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated at a press conference with Macedonian Foreign Minister, Nikola Dimitrov, after the signing ceremony. Mr Dimitrov also described the day as "historic", adding that his country was ready to fulfil its obligations as an ally.
According to the Alliance's Secretary General, the accession of FYROM will bring more stability to the Western Balkans, which is good for both the region and for Euro-Atlantic security.
While Skopje's defence spending in 2017 represented only 0.98% of its GDP, Mr Stoltenberg pointed out that the country had clearly committed itself to meeting the 2% target by 2024.
The signing of the protocol was made possible thanks to the agreement between Skopje and Athens on the name ’Macedonia’, an agreement that Mr Stoltenberg once again welcomed.
Without being a full member, FYROM is already making "important contributions" to security, through its contribution to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, the promotion of regional cooperation in South-Eastern Europe and the implementation of important reforms, the Secretary General noted.
The parliaments of the 29 members of the Alliance must now ratify the protocol. By way of comparison, for Montenegro, the last country to join NATO, the process took a year.
Until it becomes the 30th member of the Alliance, FYROM will participate in the organisation's meetings as a 'guest'. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)