A process of issuing of security clearances is ahead as part of being NATO member. It is vital for the security of our people and of our country and also for the security of the region and all our allies in the Alliance, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said Thursday.
“We’ve already been through certain stages of security clearance for certain categories of people that was deemed necessary even before joining NATO,” Zaev told a news conference in Brussels alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg when asked whether the Macedonian army is transformed in line with NATO standards and whether top army officials will be replaced as part of the process.
When asked whether there is a problem North Macedonia’s military representative to NATO to be approved after being requested about ten months ago, Secretary General Stoltenberg said NATO has in place standards and guidelines for every country that joins the Alliance as a new member.
He said that a vetting process is implemented, which takes time until all practical issues are solved.
“We are well on track, we are working with North Macedonia to close all the remaining issues. The most important thing is that North Macedonia is a member of the Alliance, it participates fully in all NATO decisions, it sits at the table as equal,” Stoltenberg stressed.
