There is no ‘Plan B’ for FYROM to join NATO without a deal with Greece, says Jens Stoltenberg




NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday repeated that the only path leading to NATO entry for FYROM passed via the implementation of the Prespes agreement signed with Greece to resolve the name dispute.

“There is no alternative route. There is no plan B for accession to NATO without the deal with Greece over the name,” Stoltenberg said, replying to questions during a presser for the civil emergency exercise “Srbija 2018” held in Serbia.

“I strongly believe that, with regard to FYROM’s accession to NATO, this is something that must be decided by the government and the parliament…it is up to the democratically elected institutions of this country to decide how to proceed,” he said.

“If they decide to implement the agreement on the name with Greece, then we are ready to accept this country as our 30th member,” he added.

This could happen very quickly and the protocol for FYROM’s entry signed very soon after the deal was implemented, according to Stoltenberg, and it was now up to the citizens and institutions of FYROM to decide whether they wanted to go ahead.

“The only way for the country to become a member of NATO is via an agreement on the name issue with Greece,” he repeated.

BELGRADE (ANA/ S. Papadopoulou)

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