SKOPJE (Reuters) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Macedonians on Thursday to vote in a referendum to embrace a deal on its name with neighbouring Greece and join the defence alliance.
"We are ready to welcome your country as NATO’s 30th member," he said after meeting Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
Macedonia has set Sept. 30 for the referendum on NATO and European Union membership bids and on its agreement with Greece on the country's name.
In June, NATO invited Macedonia to begin accession talks with the alliance, but to finalise membership talks it will have to adopt constitutional changes.
"This is a historic opportunity," Stoltenberg said. "It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to join the international community, to become a member of NATO, to become a member of the EU, but for this you have to agree with the name agreement."
Greece refused to accept the Balkan country's name, saying it implied territorial claims on the Greek province of Macedonia and amounted to an appropriation of its ancient civilisation. It had blocked the country's EU and NATO membership bids.
Zaev's government, elected in 2017, pushed for an agreement with Greece to solve the name dispute and the two sides have agreed on the name Republic of North Macedonia.
Nationalists, including President Gjorge Ivanov, oppose the deal saying it is against the constitution.
"I believe that the real place for Macedonia is in the European Union and NATO. I’ll continue to support our strategic goals. But, EU and NATO cannot be an alibi for a bad deal," Ivanov said in a statement after meeting Stoltenberg.
(Reporting by Kole Casule; Writing by Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Janet Lawrence)