North Macedonia joins NATO

North Macedonia officially became a part of NATO in March, when the “instrument for its accession” to the Washington Treaty (also known as the North Atlantic Treaty) was formally deposited with the US State Department.

An initial obstacle to its inclusion was its name, which Greece objected to since its northern province bears the name “Macedonia.” In February of 2019, however, both nations came to an agreement as the new nation, which had previously been known as the Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, agreed to be caled “North Macedonia.”

NATO will work with its new member on reforming its defense infrastructure and fully integrating it into the alliance.

In the coming months, the NATO Liaison Office in Skopje will focus on supporting North Macedonia with defense reforms and the country’s full integration into the Alliance. In practice, North Macedonia has already worked with NATO in Afghanistan and Kosovo. NATO had provided assistance to the nation in 2001, when violence broke out between ethnic Albanian insurgents and security forces had broken out.

NATO outlined key areas of cooperation between the alliance and its newest member:

Building capabilities and interoperability

An important focus of cooperation has been to develop the ability of North Macedonia’s forces to work together with forces from NATO countries and other partners, especially in peacekeeping and crisis-management operations. Participation in joint planning, training and military exercises has been essential in this regard.
Participation in the PfP Planning and Review Process since 1999 has also helped develop interoperability, as well as providing planning targets that are key to security reform and transformation objectives for the country’s armed forces.
In 2005, the country joined the Operational Capabilities Concept, a mechanism through which units available for operations can be evaluated and better integrated with NATO forces to increase operational effectiveness.
Participation in the Defence Education Enhancement Programme has helped improve education and training, which is essential for the country’s defence reform efforts.
Through participation in the Building Integrity Programme, North Macedonia has worked to strengthen good governance in the defence and security sector, and reduce risks of corruption by strengthening transparency and accountability.
In 2013, the country’s Public Affairs Regional Centre in Skopje was recognised as a Partnership Training and Education Centre, opening its activities to Allies and partners.

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Support for NATO-led operations

North Macedonia deployed troops in support of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan from 2002 to end 2014. It is currently supporting the follow-on Resolute Support mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces.
The country was a key partner in supporting NATO-led stabilisation operations in Kosovo in 1999, as NATO forces deployed North Macedonia to halt the spread of the conflict as well as to provide logistical support to the Kosovo Force (KFOR). The Allies also provided humanitarian assistance to help the North Macedonia deal with the flood of refugees from Kosovo. The country, which once hosted a NATO military headquarters in Skopje during the operational period of KFOR, continues to provide valuable host nation support to KFOR troops transiting its territory.

Wider cooperation

North Macedonia supports implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
The country is strengthening its national civil preparednessand resilience with the support of NATO. Practical cooperation with the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) has also enhanced crisis management capabilities and interoperability.
North Macedonia has been actively engaged with the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme since 1998. Recent activities have focused in particular on cyber defence and counter-terrorism, defence against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents, and environmental security.
National government and local non-governmental organisations have provided public information on NATO and its relations with North Macedonia, with the support of NATO, its Liaison Office, as well as individual Allies and partner countries.

Photo: Speaking in Brussels on March 27, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, “North Macedonia is now part of the NATO family, a family of thirty nations and almost one billion people. A family based on the certainty that, no matter what challenges we face, we are all stronger and safer together.“ North Macedonia is a long-standing contributor to NATO’s Euro-Atlantic security, including by participating in NATO-led missions in Afghanistan and in Kosovo. (NATO)

Quick Analysis

Russia Expanding Aggression

President Putin is using more than one pathway to enter Europe and undermine the West. While most of the world watches the conflict he initiated in Ukraine, the Russian government is actively pursuing a second front in a little noticed campaign in Cyprus. Although the corrupt Cypriot government ended its issuance of “golden passports” in 2020, Russian intelligence is functioning quietly there to transform this EU country into a Russian beachhead of illicit economic activity aimed at penetrating the capitalist West, according to Paul Goble of the Jamestown Foundation. Cyprus is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nor does it receive as much attention as those countries who are member states. That adds to its allure as a prime location for Russia to attempt to gain a European foothold. Last week a NATO report, cited in the European Daily Monitor, noted that Russian intelligence agents have been plotting to destroy European infrastructure across the continent to disrupt states supporting Ukraine. It further suggests that Putin’s immediate goal is to lay the framework for a future move against the security organization’s members. Hungary, in particular, is another country garnering Moscow’s attention as it opposes the Western response to Russian aggression. Russia is focusing its intelligence efforts on other European, non-NATO member countries in addition to Cyprus, including Austria, Malta, and Ireland. The NATO report suggests that Moscow has had success in disseminating the Russian political narrative in these states to advance its campaign against the West. The island of Cyprus is proving to be a good target for Moscow as it is an ethnically divided island that is part of the EU since 2004. Northern Cyprus, officially called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that is only recognized by Turkey. The division precludes it from joining NATO. As Goble suggests, “it offers Russia troubled waters in which to fish.” Over the last 20 years, he points out, Cyprus’ challenges have opened it to a massive influx of Russian citizens, who now comprise approximately 10 percent of the island state’s population. Over 2,900 residents are Russians who entered until the “golden passport” program that allowed wealthy or well-connected Russians to move to Cyprus. It also provided them with documentation to travel freely throughout Europe! Although less visible on the world’s radar than the war in Ukraine, Moscow is also being helped by Cyprus’ banks opposition to seizing Russian assets and its support in evading Western sanctions. Russia has placed tens of billions of US Dollars there for money laundering. It has been more than two years since a single Russian “diplomat” has been deported and, in fact, the Embassy has grown to over 300 staffers on this tiny island state of only 1.2 million people. The Russian embassy in Nicosia has advanced communications antennae on its roof and opened a consulate on the northern end of the island. Moscow’s Ambassador, Mura Zyazikov, is a lieutenant general in the FSB with no diplomatic experience. The FSB, SVR (Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service), and GRU are actively using the island as a base of operations against NATO Member states, Israel, and other Western allies. Moscow backs pro-Russian political parties who in turn influence Cypriot decisions on education, language, and other issues. “Dmitry Khmelnitsky of the Dossier Center says that its findings should be of concern not only to Cyprus but to the West as a whole. Those who ignore what Moscow is doing because Cyprus does not follow the EU sanctions regime are missing something critical,” says Goble. “Cyprus does not seek to get rid of Russian agents and does not interfere with their work,” Khmelnitsky concludes, “despite the fact that what the Kremlin is doing is so clearly visible.” This has an impact not only on the small island but on the EU, NATO, and the West in general. Earlier this year the Moscow Times reported that when the FBI became more interested in Russian business and oligarchs in Cyprus, at least 10 of the major Russian businesses operating there left. Despite the government of Cyprus’ vow to implement plans for new sanctions against Russia, it continues to ignore Putin’s atrocities in Ukraine and to shield the wealth of the 50,000 wealthy Russian citizens and oligarchs residing there. Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept. Illustration: Pixabay