North Macedonia expects to become a member of NATO by the end of this year, President Stevo Pendarovski said on Monday. The country also hopes to get a date for the start of European Union accession talks in October, Pendarovski said.
NATO members signed an accord in February allowing the ex-Yugoslav republic to become the 30th member of the US-led military alliance. The move came after a deal with Greece ended a long dispute over the country’s name. The European Commission formally recommended in May that North Macedonia should start negotiations to join the EU.
“We expect… that the EU will in October accept its decision about the date” for the start of EU accession talks, Reuters quoted Pendarovski as saying in Slovenia.
Pendarovski, who is on his first trip abroad after being elected in May, also expressed strong opposition to any border changes in the region.