Leading NATO officials are arriving in Skopje for a meeting of the North Atlantic Council tomorrow. The meeting is meant to encourage the introduction of “North Macedonia” into NATO, which the Zaev Government expects to happen by the end of the year.

We have signed the accession protocol and are a de-facto member of the Alliance. We will be a de-jure member, hopefully, in less than a year, said Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska.

As a special event, Sekerinska said that in two weeks the coming accession will be marked by an overflight from an American B-52 bomber. Sekerinska presented the antiquadated workhorse as the “most sophisticated part of the NATO arsenal” and insisted that the overflight is a major honor for Macedonia.