On 4^th April 2012 the Euro-Atlantic Council of Macedonia in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands and NATO Contact Point Embassy in the Republic of Macedonia held press conference for the NATO day and 63 years of the existence of NATO.



The conference was addressed by the following speakers:

• • - Lazar Elenovski, President of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Macedonia
  • - H.E. Mariet Schuurman, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands

At the press conference they were speaking about the serious transformations NATO did from 1949 to present day in order to keep up with the global changes and needs, and yet keeping the relevance of the North Atlantic agreement. Furthermore, the speakers addressed the challenges for the upcoming Summit in Chicago. Lazar Elenovski, President of the EACM highlighted the priorities for NATO on the upcoming Summit:

• • - Smart Defence
  • - ISAF mission
  • - Partnerships

He, once again, highlighted the conclusions from the past Summits, that the Republic of Macedonia fulfils all the criteria and the only obstacle is the name dispute. Elenovski also said that Macedonia does not need a Summit to become a member of NATO.

"Upon reaching a solution with Greece, Macedonia will have its invitation instantly. There is no need for tension. Regarding the decision, I believe that we need a solution based on consensus and there are much bigger issues which should be solved. We all know that on the last three summits the Alliance showed that Macedonia fulfills the criteria, but the name dispute remains and should be solved in the UN. In New York we still have not reached any solution, the Hague decision is legitimate, but, unfortunately, we are speaking about a political problem. The Hague decision has its influence, but we are all aware of the political and economic crisis which the other side faces and disables serious negotiations” – Elenovski said.

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands, Mariet Schuurman once again underlined that Macedonia does not need Summit to become a member and commented on the judgment in Hague. She said: "Macedonia does not need a Summit to become a member state. The decisions from Bucharest and Lisbon stated that Macedonia still has open invitation, once the name dispute is solved. The decision from the ICJ is a decision for the acting of the both sides regarding the Interim Agreement and not regarding the decision that NATO adopts with a consensus. But, that is the decision and we are all satisfied that the Government is using it as incentive to the negotiations with its neighbor for finding solution which will allow integration in NATO and EU, which we all want".

The press conference was held on 4 April 2012 (Wednesday) in hotel Stone Bridge in Skopje.