Kacin: Greece will not block Macedonia if conditions are met


Jelko Kacin, Slovenia’s Ambassador to NATO, says accession to the Alliance depends solely on Macedonian citizens.

“You need to meet the conditions. As soon as this is completed, we expect a positive signal from Athens. If we hadn’t received a positive message from Athens, the Secretary-General would not have signed the document for the accession talks,” said Kacin on Thursday.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev will be handed over the NATO invitation later today, leading to accession talks and ratification as soon as the constitutional revision is approved at a referendum.

According to Kacin, Macedonia cannot join NATO unless there is constitutional revision, but the invitation cannot be withdrawn.

“We are committed to giving Macedonia a chance and we will do everything in our power to help citizens understand this historic opportunity. It is up to Macedonia to decide whether to accept the compromise and amend its constitution accordingly, so that your ministers can join us at NATO meetings at the onset of 2019,” added Ambassador Kacin.