Distinguished guests,
Esteemed Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my honor to greet you in the Republic of Macedonia during this Conference dedicated to the joint efforts aimed at achieving the partnership goals and capabilities of NATO forces.

We are here today because of the mutual promises given 12 years ago with the Adriatic Charter. The Charter states that "Europe will not be truly free until the entire region of Southeastern Europe is safe ... Europe cannot be united as long as there are countries in the region that are not included in the Euro-Atlantic institutions".

In the past years, many of the commitments taken have been accomplished. The partnership with the United States has prompted our countries to commit to fostering good neighborly relations and regional cooperation. We have implemented successful reform and modernized our armed forces, thus we actively contribute to peace and stability in the crisis regions.

Albania and Croatia became NATO members. Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the Adriatic Charter. Slovenia and Serbia are observer countries. We rejoice their success as success of the entire region.

We can say the Adriatic Group has contributed to building peace, democracy, stability and prosperity in Southeast Europe.
However, it is stated in the Charter, inter alia, that "the partners confirm their commitment to the rule of law as a foundation of the transatlantic community of free and democratic countries..."

The transatlantic community, NATO, is based on international law and its obligation is to take care for the respect of that right exactly.
The Adriatic Charter was signed 12 years ago. Only five years later, at the NATO Summit in Bucharest, the Charter was put to a test and, unfortunately, failed in the case of Macedonia.

Where NATO failed, the International Court of Justice did not fail by ruling out that the Greek blockade of Macedonia's integration into NATO is illegal and that the international obligations are violated.
However, since the publication of the judgment of the International Court of Justice to date almost 4 years have passed and 2 NATO Summits in Chicago and Cardiff were held. Greece had enough time to comply with the obligations stemming from this judgment.

NATO and its members had ample of opportunities to reassess their decision in accordance with international law.

As Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, I can say that we have met the membership criteria and standards, but we are still blocked. With 16 Membership Action Plans, 9 rotations in Iraq and 27 rotations in Afghanistan, the Army of the Republic of Macedonia is the army that has been tested and checked the most in NATO's history. For us, this creates major responsibilities and yet we do not enjoy any privileges and rights.

We are defending the interests of the Alliance, although we are not in the Alliance. It is time for the Alliance to defend its interests by giving us the long ago deserved membership.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Many things have changed since 2003. The territorial sovereign state is facing new, non-territorial, threats. Although the number of conflicts between the states is declining, the number of conflicts within the states is increasing. Unfortunately, many of these conflicts occur in the immediate European neighborhood.

The collapsed states in North Africa and the Middle East and the situation in Ukraine form a circle of conflicts surrounding Europe.
There are ruined societies in which there are no conditions for the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights and the right to human dignity. As a consequence, we witness a new migration of the people fleeing their failed countries. Fleeing from the conflicts and chaos, most of them seek peace and security in Europe. The migration crisis is a reminder that the Balkans is a European artery, a key European corridor connecting Europe with the Middle East and North Africa. The migrant crisis is a test of Europe's consistency.

We are witnessing that the European Union is not yet ready to adequately respond to the challenges and threats.

The global threat of violent extremism and foreign terrorist fighters cannot be solved by bureaucratic procedures, but with managing the threat. Our experience shows that the intelligence and special operations are the best weapons in today's security environment.

Each country can contribute by sharing its experience. What is needed is the development of a preventive mechanism in the fight against violent extremism and radicalism and foreign terrorist fighters. It requires different cooperation and communication between the national security system entities of all countries. A unique and coordinated response to the threats is needed. The countries of the Adriatic Charter must be integrated into the architecture of the security system of NATO and the European Union, with undisturbed access to all databases.

Every military strategist knows very well the principle of Sun-tzu, who compares an army with water. Water never flows uphill, but prefers the path of least resistance. By failing to integrate Macedonia under its security umbrella, the Alliance makes a strategic mistake and creates space of least resistance.

Blocking the Euro-Atlantic integration of Macedonia is a textbook example of how the security in the region should not be built.
If the issue of inviting the Republic of Macedonia to join NATO was a purely political issue by now, as of now it is also a security issue. Each future illegal blockade of our rightfully deserved NATO membership is a serious blockade of the collective interests and fundamental principles of the Alliance.

The judgment is still here, waiting to be adhered to by Greece and NATO. The Summit in Warsaw is an opportunity for NATO and its members to reaffirm the commitment to international law. Yet, it is an opportunity to defend the collective interest of the Alliance and the interest of our region for greater security and stability.

Today you will discuss the joint efforts in achieving the partnership goals of NATO. Each of our countries is too small to face, on its own, the global challenges and the new and complex threats. We must help each other. Stability and security of each country is an important link in the whole region.

Thank you.