Romanian Senate ratifies protocol on the Republic of North Macedonia's accession to NATO

The Romanian Senate, as the decision-making chamber on Wednesday unanimously ratified a bill ratifying a protocol on North Macedonia's accession to NATO, signed in Brussels on February 6, 2019. Attending the vote plenary session was Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia Talat Xhaferi. "The ratification of the Accession Protocol of the Republic of North Macedonia to teh North Atlantic treaty represents a procedural stage in the course of the Republic of North Macedonia towards full NATO membership. By ratifying this protocol, Romania expresses its consent on the Republic of North Macedonia becoming the 30th member of the North Atlantic Alliance," reads the bill's explanatory statement. The Accession Protocol for the future Republic of North Macedonia will enter into force after all NATO member states have completed the necessary internal legal procedures. Subsequently, the NATO secretary general will extend the government of the Republic of North Macedonia, on behalf of all NATO member states, an invitation to join NATO. The Republic of North Macedonia will become a party to the NATO treaty at the time of depositing the instrument of accession with the Government of the United States of America, the depositary of the NATO Treaty. "This is a time of special significance, because the 30th member of NATO confirms the Euro-Atlantic vocation of the Western Balkan states. The decision of February 6 in Brussels is the expression of the mutual interest of the NATO member states and the government in Skopje to become partners in the promotion and defence of shared Euro-Atlantic values and, at the same time, the result of a meritorious journey by political decision-makers, civil society and the Macedonian Armed Forces to take up these values that started in 1993. (...) Present today in the Senate plenary session, Speaker Xhaferi confirms once again the special significance of this moment. He has been a constant promoter of his country's NATO membership, and I am convinced that today's success is largely attributable to him," Romanian Senate President Calin Popescu-Tariceanu told the plenary session of the Romanian Parliament. In his turn, Xhaferi thanked Romania for supporting the Euro-Atlantic journey of his country. AGERPRES (RO - author: Livia Popescu, editor: Andreea Rotaru; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Rodica State)