Macedonia's accession to the European Union and NATO will boost the scope of the country's production, export, employment and foreign investments, Economy Minister Valjon Saraqini said Wednesday at the conference 'Influence of Euro-Atlantic Integration on Macedonia's Economy'.

Macedonia's EU, NATO membership status will increase the country's possibility to obtain international financial assistance under more favourable terms, bolster the domestic production volume and employment rate, Saraqini  said at the event, organized by the Euro Atlantic Council, in cooperation with the Faculty of Security and the Economic Chamber.

In addition to European market Macedonian businessmen should also make attempts to enter high-growth third markets, namely to seek strategic partners, starting from Turkey to Azerbaijan, Saraqini said.

Macedonia is a small market, so its accession to NATO will open many doors to the country, not only for inflow of foreign investments, but also for domestic companies to operate abroad, said Economic Chamber representative Goran Rafajlovski said.

State Secretary at the Defence Ministry Saso Stefanoski considers that the security and stability are main prerequisites for boosting the economic growth and creating favourable investment climate.

"Macedonia has been ready to take over the responsibilities and obligations under the NATO membership since 2008, but the only obstacle to obtaining such status is the irrational dispute over its name with the southern neighbor," Stefanovski said.