North Macedonia commemorated the day it joined NATO amid calls denouncing the Russian aggression in Ukraine and bringing the war to an end.

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski said the Russian invasion is completely illegitimate and called on Moscow to withdraw its troops.

“We call on Russia to cease hostilities and withdraw all its troops from Ukraine”, he said.

The foreign affairs minister, Bujar Osmani, reiterated the importance of integrating the Western Balkans into the EU.

“The extraordinary situation in the European continent shows that EU integration is firstly a security policy. Accelerating the integration process of the Western Balkans is essential in preserving security in Europe”, he said.

He also added that the Russian invasion contributed to consolidating member states and deepening cooperation that will help strengthen NATO in the future.

North Macedonia joined the Euro Atlantic Alliance in 2020.