NATO Formally Invites Macedonia To Begin Membership Talks

RFE
12 Jul 2018, 02:07 GMT+10

NATO has formally invited Macedonia to begin membership talks on joining the North Atlantic alliance.

The invitation, which was widely expected, was issued on July 11 after a summit meeting in Brussels of heads of states from the 29 members.

The invitation was made to the former Yugoslav republic after it resolved a multidecade dispute with NATO and EU member Greece over the country's official name.

Greece has long objected to Macedonia's formal designation, since one region in Greece shares the same name.

But earlier this year, the two countries settled their dispute, opening the door for NATO to extend a membership invitation.

Macedonia would become NATO's 30th member if the talks are successful.

The prospect of Macedonia joining NATO has already angered Russia, which has long opposed the eastward expansion of the alliance, fearing a military threat.

News reports on July 11 said Greece was preparing to expel two Russian diplomats suspected of meddling in the issue of Macedonia's name. Russia said it would respond in kind.

With reporting by Reuters

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Greek Herald.

More Information

27 ℃

Athens

International Business

Section

Indian IT giant, Infosys announces 1,000 jobs in Arizona

BANGALORE, India - As part of its commitment to offer employment to 10,000 Americans by 2023, India's second-biggest software firm ...

French brand Longchamp eyes expansion in China to lift sales

PARIS, France - Famed for its iconic folding Le Pliage handbags, the leading French luxury brand Longchamp is exploring various ...

Facebook's dating feature goes live but only in Columbia

CALIFORNIA, U.S. - Earlier this year, Facebook unveiled its most boggling feature till date - revealing at its annual developer ...

Amazon buys majority stake in Indian supermarket, More

SEATTLE, U.S. - Starting off in 1994 as a modest firm to sell books in Seattle, Amazon's trajectory in its ...

Domestic baggage fees set to be raised by American Airlines

WASHINGTON, U.S. - Following several major U.S. carriers, American Airlines Group announced on Thursday that it would raise its domestic ...

Tesla VP of global supply management, Liam O'Connor, resigns

CALIFORNIA, U.S. - Suffering yet another jolt, reports have revealed that the electric carmaker Tesla has lost yet another top ...

Mediterranean

Section

Movie Review

A Cure for Wellness

Featured story

Ireland's Keywords Studios acquires Canada's Snowed In

DUBLIN, Ireland - Following its successful acquisition of Hollywood-based Blindlight, Irish video-gaming company Keywords Studios has now announced its latest accomplishment. Keywords r ...