On 27 March 2020, the Republic of North Macedonia became the 30th Member State of the Alliance. Hence, one of the three strategic priorities of the country's foreign policy was implemented, around which the broadest political consensus was built, followed by strong support from the citizens of the country.
The commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration of the Republic of North Macedonia dates back to 1993, when the Assembly adopted a Resolution, which defines the country's foreign policy priorities, namely NATO and EU membership.
On 15 November 1995, the then Republic of Macedonia signed the Framework Document for accession to the Partnership for Peace program. At the time, the country was also admitted to the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, later known as the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.
The Liaison Office was opened on 14 June 1996 and the Permanent Mission at NATO Headquarters in Brussels in late 1997. In April 1999, at the NATO Summit in Washington, the Republic of Macedonia gained the status of a candidate country for membership in the Alliance, after which the preparation and implementation of the Membership Action Plan began.
In the final Declaration of the NATO Summit in Bucharest in 2008, the Alliance decided that the country should receive an invitation to join after resolving the name issue with Greece. The declarations of the following NATO Summits (Lisbon 2010, Chicago 2012, Wales 2014, and Warsaw 2016) reiterated the Bucharest formulation that the Alliance would extend an invitation to NATO membership immediately after reaching a mutually acceptable name solution within the UN.
At the NATO Summit in Brussels, 11-12 July 2018, the North Atlantic Council, at a meeting at the level of Heads of State and Government, decided to invite the Republic of North Macedonia to start accession talks for membership in the Alliance.
On 1 August 2018, the NATO Secretary General sent a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia together with the Plan for implementation of the NATO accession process.
On 18-19 October 2018, at a meeting held at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, the Republic of North Macedonia successfully concluded the accession talks for the country's membership in the Alliance.
On 21 January 2019, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia sent a letter to the NATO Secretary General expressing the readiness and ability of the country to accept and respect the obligations and commitments of the country for NATO membership, contained in the Washington Agreement and the 1995 NATO Enlargement Study, as well as the desire to receive an invitation to join NATO.
On 6 February 2019, at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, the representatives of 29 NATO member states, in the presence of the NATO Secretary General and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, signed the Accession Protocol for membership of the Republic of North Macedonia in the Alliance.
Following the formal ceremony in Brussels, the ratification procedure of the Accession Protocol by all 29 Member States of the Alliance began. The ratification procedure of the Accession Protocol was finalized on 19 March 2020, when the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain in Washington handed over the instrument of ratification of the Washington Agreement, thus completing the third and final phase of the accession process.
In order for the process of the country's integration into NATO to proceed smoothly, on 11 February 2020 the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, unanimously ratified the North Atlantic Treaty, followed on 20 March 2020 by the signing of the instrument for ratification of the Accession Protocol for NATO membership by the President of the Republic.
Finally, on 27 March 2020, through the Embassy of the Republic of North Macedonia in Washington, the instrument for accession to the North Atlantic Treaty was deposited at the US State Department, making the Republic of North Macedonia officially become the 30th Member State of the Alliance.
The Republic of North Macedonia, previously, as a partner of the Alliance, and today as a NATO Member State, actively contributes to the NATO, EU, and UN security missions, in the region and the world, supporting peace and security. The contribution to international operations is in the spirit of the strategic commitment of the Republic of North Macedonia to contribute to global peace and security and represents another confirmation of the readiness to share the challenges as a full-fledged NATO Member State.
The active role of the Republic of North Macedonia in the regional security cooperation within the USA - Adriatic Charter should be underlined as well, thus the country makes a significant contribution to the further development of a secure, stable, and economically prosperous region.