Writes: Xhelal NEZIRI
In March this year, the Republic of North Macedonia (RNM) celebrated the fourth anniversary of its membership in the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO), a military and political structure comprising 32 countries and forming what we know today as the West.
This membership proves to be very visionary today, considering the war in Ukraine that started in 2022 when Russia began its full occupation, Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and the outstanding problems in the Balkans. With NATO membership, North Macedonia reduced Russia’s presence and emphasized its strategic alignment with the West, which is expected to be rounded off by membership in the European Union (EU).
The fact that Russia has not succeeded in keeping RNM away from NATO integration does not mean that Russian influence will end there. The former Russian ambassador in Skopje, Oleg Sherbak, stated in March 2018 that the country would be a legitimate target for Russia in the event of integration into NATO if it came to a war between East and West. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also warned the West that NATO enlargement to include North Macedonia would be seen as a provocation for Russia. In June 2017, NATO admitted its 29th member – Montenegro, while Sweden and Finland, two countries close to Russia’s northern border, were also admitted after the RNM.
The signing of the Prespa Agreement on June 17, 2018 was greeted with enthusiasm in Brussels, but with many reservations and doubts in Skopje and Athens. From the beginning of the negotiations between the former prime ministers of the Republic of Macedonia and Greece, Zoran Zaev and Alexis Tsipras, it became apparent that the 27-year name dispute between the two neighboring countries – which was the reason for Greece’s veto against Skopje’s Euro-Atlantic route – was on its way to a major solution. The closer the date of the agreement approached, the more aggressively Russia acted through its tentacles in the RNM, Serbia and Greece. However, on November 19, the parliamentary majority barely managed to “convince” eight opposition MPs to support the need to open up the constitution, which required two-thirds of the votes, or at least 80 MPs. In January 2019, the parliament approved the amendments and on March 30, 2020, the process of ratifying the protocols in the 29 parliaments of the member states was completed and the RNM flag was immediately raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Now, four years later, the debate is raging as to whether it was worth it. As not only a military but also a political alliance, NATO not only guarantees the security of its members, but also promotes the cultivation of democratic values, the fight against crime and corruption, the independent functioning of the judiciary, financial stability and efficiency in public spending, economic growth and foreign direct investment. These elements constitute the so-called “NATO effect” experienced by the countries of Eastern Europe and the Balkans, which have been part of this structure for more than ten years. In 2009, Albania became a member of NATO together with Croatia. Since then, foreign investment has tripled, while the number of employees has risen from 900,000 to almost 1.15 million. Bulgaria has also experienced an economic boom since 2004, when it became a member of NATO. Before membership, the average salary in the country was just under 300 Bulgarian leva or 150 euros, while in 2018 this figure reached almost 1200 leva or 600 euros.
Meanwhile, foreign investment in North Macedonia has tripled. While it was only USD 226 million in 2020, it doubled to USD 551 million one year after membership. The trend of rising foreign investment continued in 2022, when USD 780 million was recorded, while 2023 closed with USD 667 million. The unemployment rate was 16.4 percent in 2020, while it fell to just 13.1 percent in 2024.
Of course, NATO cannot magically solve all the problems of the new member states, but it creates a good basis for development. These advantages of membership in this stable military-political system were taken into account in 1993 when the parliament voted on the decision for North Macedonia’s membership in NATO.
On April 4, NATO celebrates the 75th anniversary of its founding. This alliance was founded in 1949 in response to the threat posed by the Soviet Union and has played an important role in protecting the peace and security of democratic countries. The importance of NATO’s existence is especially understood now as Russia continues to occupy Ukraine and seeks to undermine the stability of democratic countries in Europe./The Geopost/
