Macedonia begins negotiations with NATO

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.