US President George Bush said in Tirana on Sunday that Macedonia, Albania, and Croatia belong in NATO and that they should receive an invitation for membership at the forthcoming NATO Summit in Bucharest.

Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said that Macedonia could count on Bush's support. "He expressed strong support with regard to Macedonia receiving an invitation at the next summit.This is very important for us, seeing as it encourages us to complete the reforms," the Macedonian prime minister said.