Brunssum,
the Netherlands – On
Friday 27 March 2020 North Macedonia became NATO’s newest member, upon
depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the US
State Department in Washington DC. NATO Allies signed North Macedonia’s
Accession Protocol in February 2019, after which all 29 national parliaments
voted to ratify the country’s membership.
Official ceremonies,
raising the national flag of North Macedonia, were conducted across the
Alliance today, led by the Secretary General.
At JFC Brunssum the Deputy
Commander, Lieutenant General Stuart Skeates, led a small flag raising
ceremony. This was a poignant moment for the Deputy Commander as he has
strong connections with North Macedonia following his involvement, as a NATO
officer, in Operation Essential Harvest – a NATO operation 18 years ago in
which the country ceased its engagement in the Balkans conflict and embraced
peace. Lieutenant General Hubert de Reviers de Mauny, Chief of Staff
JFCBS, was in attendance.
COM JFC Brunssum, General
Erhard Bühler, said:
“This
is great news at a difficult time, when the whole world is faced with fighting
the COVID-19 pandemic. Every nation is taking unprecedented measures to
limit the spread of the virus, save lives and limit the impact on our
economies. This challenge is too great for any single nation alone.
So it is more important than ever that our nations stand together, work
together and support each other. This is the essence of transatlantic
solidarity. We are stronger together”.
The security that NATO membership provides is
unequalled. That security has been the foundation of transatlantic
stability and prosperity for over 70 years. Article 5 of our founding
treaty states that an attack on one member is an attack on all. From now
on, North Macedonia will always have the full support of 29 Allies.
NATO membership is good for North Macedonia and it is
also good for NATO. The Alliance is grateful for the contribution of
North Macedonian soldiers who serve in Afghanistan and the Alliance’s
peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.
North Macedonia is now part of the NATO family, a
family of thirty nations and almost one billion people. A family based on
the certainty that, no matter what challenges we face, we are all stronger and
safer together.
Welcome into the NATO family, North Macedonia!”