Macedonia is on its way to join Nato next year despite Russian opposition.
The prospect comes after Nato states' ambassadors signed an accession protocol with Macedonia's foreign minister in Brussels on Wednesday (6 February).
"I really look forward to seeing 30 allied flags fly outside Nato headquarters," Nato head Jens Stoltenberg said.
"Once all allies have ratified the protocol, Skopje will become the 30th member of the alliance," he added.
"For us, Nato is about...
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.