Macedonia remains committed to NATO membership
Macedonia remains fully committed to NATO membership and will continue to nurture partnership relations with the Alliance, said Foreign and Defense Ministers Antonio Milososki and Lazar Elenovski respectively in their addresses at the forum "Security in the Balkans: NATO after the Bucharest Summit" held on 2 July, 2008.
Ministers Milososki and Elenovski claimed that the Alliance had to be redefined for the purpose of more efficient functioning.
"NATO is an organization with an integration strategy", stressed Foreign Minister Milososki. “Macedonia, but also Georgia and Ukraine events at the Bucharest Summit show that the Alliance should continue to transform, before all in the political sector. The principle of general consensus is obviously an increasing burden", said Defense Minister Elenovski, adding that the Bucharest Summit showed shortcomings, such as the abuse of veto by a member-state.
L. Elenovski emphasized that Macedonia has nothing to change in its policy towards NATO.
Thomas Navratil, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia, said that NATO had done a lot in order to prepare itself for the new challenges of the 21st century. Pertaining to the Balkans' security after the Bucharest Summit, he stated that NATO's enlargement with Albania, Croatia and Macedonia was of crucial significance. Thomas Navratil expressed the U.S. disappointment from the fact that NATO had not extended a membership invitation to Macedonia, and reiterated President Bush's message that Macedonia must assume its rightful place in the Alliance.
"Security in the Balkans: NATO after the Bucharest Summit" forum was organized by the Foundation Konrad Adenauer and Institute for Democracy "Societas Civilis".