By Husameddin Gina
BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – Macedonia on Thursday will officially begin accession negotiations with NATO, the country’s Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska said on Tuesday.
Sekerinska's remarks came at a joint news conference in capital Skopje with Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and National NATO Coordinator Stjepan Pendarovski.
“We have entered with a lot of optimism and desire for success. It is ahead of us that our country becomes a member of the most powerful alliance for the collective security […] with the highest quality of life and with more than 900 million inhabitants, ” said Sekerinska.
The defense minister called on the lawmakers from all political parties in Macedonia to “show themselves in action.”
During the news conference, Dimitrov said this is a short process and will end later this year or early next year.
“We have prepared a program for the continuation of reforms, with emphasis on the rule of law and judicial reforms, fight against corruption and organized crimes, ” Dimitrov said.
