National Coordinator for NATO Stevo Pendarovski said that Macedonia has de facto became a member of NATO. This happened when the alliance's member states signed the accession protocol, he said.

"Today, after a full 26 years since the declaration in the Macedonian parliament, we became a de facto member of NATO. This accomplished the greatest strategic goal which all the political elites and leaderships since (independence) September 8, 1991 held until now," he wrote on Twitter.

Macedonia’s stand is that we want to see a positive solution reached by Belgrade and Pristina which would bring lasting peace, development and progress towards the European Union, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told N1 on Wednesday.

“We don’t know what they are talking about, we just listen. I went through a difficult process of negotiations with Greece. It’s not easy for President Aleksandar Vucic, nor for President Hashim Thaci. I encourage them to find a solution,” he said.

In a symbolic gesture, the Greek Government will most probably be the first country to ratify North Macedonia’s NATO accession protocol. Beta agency is reporting this on Wednesday, citing EURACTIV.

The plan is to do this by February 8, sources close to the issue told the Brussels-based website.

Serbian media over the weekend reported on the statement Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Enver Hoxhaj made, saying that, on several occasions, he had discussed founding a pact to oppose Serbia and its “aggressive policy” with the leaders of Croatia, Macedonia and Montenegro while visiting those countries.

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Macedonia's prime minister reiterated his will on Tuesday to reach a solution with Greece following more than two decades of disputes over his country's name.

Zoran Zaev said Macedonian and Greek officials were working "to reconfirm their will of resuming essential talks ... to reach a solution."

Zaev, in power since spring, has vowed to improve relations with Greece, which has opposed Macedonia's name since it declared it and won recognition by the United Nations after Yugoslavia's breakup in 1991.

Serbian intelligence services have received information of a risk of tension between Serbia and Macedonia, "in which Albanians would be involved."

Apart from them, "a part of the authorities in Macedonia" is included in this scenario, Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti writes.

The newspaper said it learned that "the plan is for well-armed groups of Albanians to infiltrate the border zone between Serbia and Macedonia." Allegedly, they would be dressed in Serbian military or police uniforms.