Macedonia's accession to NATO remains a joint interest and strong commitment for both the country and the Alliance, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen agreed Thursday in Skopje.

Gruevski reaffirmed Macedonia's strong commitment to soon join NATO, which is one of the top priorities of the country's foreign policy.

"I've pointed out that Macedonia is the Alliance's active partner in numerous joint activities and missions, contributing particularly to sharing the common responsibilities with the NATO members. Macedonia has proven to be a reliable NATO partner for the last few years," Gruevski said at a joint press conference with Rasmussen.

Gruevski said he briefed Rasmussen on the Macedonian Government's commitment to keep on with reforms under the Membership Action Plan (MAP) in favour of further advancing of the country's political, defense and security performances.

"I've pinpointed our commitment to long-term contribution to the international peace and security. To that effect Macedonia is ready to resume its contribution in Afghanistan after 2014 in line with the Alliance’s needs and the country’s possibilities," Gruevski said.

At today's meeting Gruevski and Rasmussen also shared opinions on current developments in the region and worldwide.

"We have also addressed the negotiations on ironing the differences with Greece over the bilateral issue, raised by our southern neighbour 20 years ago," Gruevski said. Macedonia is rather interested in settling the matter, which is the last obstacle to its NATO membership, he said.

Furthermore, Gruevski briefed Rasmussen about the recent presidential, parliamentary elections in Macedonia, as well as future activities for setting up the new government.

Rasmussen on his part highlighted Macedonia's contribution to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan and support of KFOR. Macedonia is a respected contributor to the international peace, he said.

NATO is committed to the future of Western Balkans as natural part of the Euro-Atlantic family, Rasmussen said.

"Your security, stability, future is important to us. You are not only close to us geographically, but also in terms of history and culture, so I believe you belong to our family of nations and look forward to see you joining the family in the near future," Rasmussen said.

Integration into NATO is a free choice, which however requires reforms, hard decisions and brave leadership, Rasmussen said.

"The door to NATO membership remains open, as agreed at the 2008 Alliance's Summit in Bucharest. You will be invited NATO accession talks as soon as mutually acceptable solution to the name issue is found. I encourage you to keep on with the efforts and aspire to finding a solution. The time is now," Rasmussen said.