US, Greek jets welcome North Macedonia into NATO

Four F-16s from the 337th Hellenic Airforce Combat Wing accompanied a pair of American B-1B bombers on a mission to welcome North Macedonia into NATO by flying over the capital Skopje on Friday.

North Macedonia became the alliance's 30th member on March 27, following the settlement of its name dispute with Greece in 2018.

Friday's ceremonial flight was watched by US Ambassador to Skopje Kate Marie Byrnes and the country's defense minister, Radmila Sekerinska, the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) reported.

According to the ANA-MPA, Sekerinska said the Covid-19 pandemic must not overshadow the country's membership in NATO and the approval for the start of talks for its accession to the European Union.