Macedonia signs key NATO membership text as ratification process begins

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov signed accession papers in Brussels on Wednesday. The move is seen as a big step for the small Balkan country toward becoming the 30th member of NATO and it also marks the end of a long dispute with Greece over Macedonia’s name. The country is expected to join the alliance under the name of North Macedonia, possibly later this year or in early 2020, AP said. US President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts are due to hold a summit in London in December. The meeting, to mark NATO’s 70th anniversary, could formally welcome North Macedonia should the ratification process be completed.