Baily: Macedonia has real chance to join NATO

The real chance for Macedonia to soon join NATO is the biggest difference when talking about the country today compared to the past, said United States Ambassador Jess Baily at debate “NATO and You”, organized by the Defense Ministry, the Euro-Atlantic Council of Macedonia (ATA Macedonia), the NATO Liaison Office Skopje and the Croatian Embassy to Macedonia on Wednesday.

“What does NATO membership mean for Macedonia and its people? It means that you will be allies, not partners, friends, neighbors with the rest of the member-states,” said Baily.

He added that on the day observing 69 years from the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, the Alliance is an organization based on the respect of human rights and liberties, democracy and rule of law.

According to him, the low degree of the rule of law makes the country vulnerable to corruption, but also to domestic and foreign enemies.

Baily said the NATO accession would help overcome political divisions in the country, adding that systemic reforms in Macedonia should not remain on paper but implemented in practice.

Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska said NATO membership is of enormous importance because the country would become part of the most powerful economic alliance that nurtures democracy and guarantees the security of its members, with eight out of the top ten countries enjoying highest quality of life are NATO members.

“We have shown over the past ten months that Macedonia’s democratic tissue is still here. You no longer see propaganda when turning on the TV sets. The Government does not run away from discussion and promotes transparent policies,” said Sekerinska.

Finance Minister Dragan Tevdovski told the debate that security of a certain country represents the foundation for increased investors’ interests, saying the NATO accession would contribute to this process.

In this regard, he referred to the rising level of investments in Albania and Bulgaria following their NATO accession.

Croatian Ambassador Danijela Barisic said Macedonia and Croatia share the same history and mentality, both having the same aspirations – EU and NATO accession.

She stressed that circumstances and threats are now different from the time when Croatia joined the Alliance nine years ago, with the country evaluated by its political and economic stability, not the modernization of its military on its path to NATO.

NATO Liaison Office Skopje Chief, Navy Captain Gorazd Bartol, provided a brief background of the Alliance operations and its continual transformation in an attempt to adapt to new challenges.

NATO National Coordinator Stevo Pendarovski, ATA Macedonia president and PM’s adviser on NATO Ismet Ramadani, as well as president of the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) Fabrizio Luciolli delivered the opening remarks at the debate.