BRUSSELS — NATO leaders invited government of Skopje in Macedonia to start accession negotiations to join the alliance and reaffirmed the Bucharest Summit decision that Georgia will be member of Alliance
This was stated in the Brussels Summit Declaration which was agreed by all allies during the first day of a NATO Summit.
“At our 2008 Bucharest Summit, we decided that NATO will extend an invitation to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to join the alliance as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached within the framework of the UN. We welcome the historic agreement between Athens and Skopje on the solution of the name issue. In line with our policy, we have decided to invite the government in Skopje to begin accession talks to join our Alliance”.
Leaders underlines that full implementation of all prescribed internal procedures with respect to the agreement on the solution of the name issue is a condition for a successful conclusion of the accession process.
Regarding Georgia, leaders reiterated the decision made at the 2008 Bucharest Summit that Georgia will become a member of the Alliance, with MAP (Membership Action Plan) as an integral part of the process. “We reaffirm all elements of that decision, as well as subsequent decisions. We welcome the significant progress realised since 2008”.
Leaders recognised the significant progress on reforms which Georgia has made and must continue, which are helping Georgia, an aspirant country, progress in its preparations towards membership, and which strengthen Georgia’s defence and interoperability capabilities with the alliance.
