NATO: Top priorities are Afghanistan, Kosovo

The U.S.’s new envoy to NATO Kurt Volker says that, after Afghanistan, Kosovo is his main priority. He also highlighted expansion to the Western Balkans, and promised that Macedonia would not have to wait until the Alliance’s next summit to receive its invitation to join. NATO: Top priorities are Afghanistan, Kosovo “Afghanistan, Kosovo, NATO expansion to Croatia, Albania and Macedonia, the question of Georgia and Ukraine, missile defense systems,” said Volker, listing Washington’s priorities in an interview with Czech daily Hospodarske Noviny. “The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will receive an invitation immediately, as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the matter of the name is found with Greece. That means we won’t have to wait until the next summit, and I think it will be soon,” said the U.S. diplomat. At the recent NATO summit in Bucharest, Macedonia did not receive the invitation it had been expecting because of a Greek veto over the 17-year long feud running between the countries over Macedonia’s official name. Nor will Georgia or Ukraine have to wait until the next summit for a decision to be taken over acceptance into the Action Plan for Membership, because, as he put it, both countries had received a clear message at the Bucharest summit that they would “become NATO members.” “The first opportunity we’ll have to decide [about Georgia and Ukraine] is as early as this year, in December, at the meeting of NATO foreign ministers,” said Volker.

NATO: Top priorities are Afghanistan, Kosovo

“Afghanistan, Kosovo, NATO expansion to Croatia, Albania and Macedonia, the question of Georgia and Ukraine, missile defense systems,” said Volker, listing Washington’s priorities in an interview with Czech daily Hospodarske Noviny.

“The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will receive an invitation immediately, as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the matter of the name is found with Greece. That means we won’t have to wait until the next summit, and I think it will be soon,” said the U.S. diplomat.

At the recent NATO summit in Bucharest, Macedonia did not receive the invitation it had been expecting because of a Greek veto over the 17-year long feud running between the countries over Macedonia’s official name.

Nor will Georgia or Ukraine have to wait until the next summit for a decision to be taken over acceptance into the Action Plan for Membership, because, as he put it, both countries had received a clear message at the Bucharest summit that they would “become NATO members.”

“The first opportunity we’ll have to decide [about Georgia and Ukraine] is as early as this year, in December, at the meeting of NATO foreign ministers,” said Volker.