Macedonia should have as many allies in NATO as possible before the next summit of the Alliance in Chicago in April, foreign and home experts say and add that Macedonia should not remain just a silent bystander waiting for the process to get unblocked when the name issue is resolved, Dnevnik reports.

At the summit in Chicago, Afghanistan and the pulling of NATO troops out of the country in 2014 will be the chief talking point. No one says whether the NATO reform or its enlargement would be discussed as well. Hence, home experts say, the question is whether one more summit after that in Lisbon will go without a discussion about Macedonia and its membership. Instead, Macedonia will merely be thanked for its contribution to the peace-keeping missions of the Alliance. US Ambassador to Macedonia Paul Wohlers has made it plain that Macedonia may expect accession to the Alliance at the summit in Chicago provided the name issue with Greece is resolved.