“Congratulations to North Macedonia on becoming the 30th member of the North Atlantic Alliance,” Poland’s Permanent Delegation to NATO said in a tweet.
It added: “As a strong supporter of NATO’s open-door policy, Poland looks forward to expanded allied cooperation, which ensures peace and security in our Euro-Atlantic area.”
Poland’s foreign ministry congratulated “the country’s government and citizens on a successful conclusion of the accession process.”
It said in a statement posted on its website that Poland was convinced North Macedonia would “significantly contribute to our collective security and to extending the area of stability in Europe.”
The Polish foreign ministry added that “admitting the Republic of North Macedonia to NATO proves the vitality of the Treaty’s Open Door policy and sends a positive signal to all countries that wish to join the Alliance.”
It voiced hope for “successful cooperation” with North Macedonia as part of NATO and a “further enhancing of bilateral relations.”
North Macedonia on Friday became NATO’s newest member “upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the US State Department in Washington,” the Western defence alliance announced on its website.
It added that a flag-raising ceremony for the country would take place at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was quoted as saying in Brussels on Friday: “North Macedonia is now part of the NATO family, a family of 30 nations and almost 1 billion people—a family based on the certainty that, no matter what challenges we face, we are all stronger and safer together.“
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda last month voiced support for North Macedonia’s efforts to join NATO and the European Union after talks in Warsaw with the Balkan country’s leader Stevo Pendarovski.
On Thursday, EU leaders gave North Macedonia as well as Albania formal approval to begin talks to join the 27-nation bloc.
Poland last summer hosted prime ministers and senior figures from 14 European countries at a major conference to discuss the challenges and European integration prospects of the Western Balkans region.
(gs/pk)
Source: onet.pl, gov.pl, nato.int