Macedonia reaffirms its desire to join NATO

Macedonia has invited member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to back its candidature at the NATO summit meeting in Prague, where the matter of NATO expansion will be in consideration. Macedonian Foreign Minister Slobodan Casule has addressed his analogues in the NATO countries with a relative message.

He reaffirms the intention of Macedonia to become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance and outlines steps which his country is making in this direction.

Skopje believes that NATO's invitation for Macedonia "will demonstrate the firm resolve of Western democracies to back the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country". Also, this will "have a positive effect on the common goal of all the democratic countries in the region -- the creation of an indivisible, free, safe and stable Europe", reads the message of the Macedonian foreign minister.