The White House on Friday welcomed the U.S. Senate's vote to admit Albania and Croatia into NATO and expressed hopes that Macedonia may soon resolve its name dispute with Greece and join the trans-Atlantic military alliance. “We welcome the Senate's ratification yesterday evening of Albania's and Croatia's ascension to NATO. This step recognizes the tremendous progress made by these countries in recent years,” spokeswoman Dana Perino said. “The Senate vote underscores how these new democracies have helped to close a dark chapter in the history of the Balkans and are making strides in ensuring the entire region is peaceful, democratic, and on the path toward full Euro-Atlantic integration,” Perino said. “Their membership in NATO, once ratification by other allies is completed, will be a great asset to the alliance. Both countries are already active participants in military operations along with U.S. forces and those of our allies,” the spokeswoman said. “We also hope to welcome Macedonia as a member of NATO as soon as the issue of its name is resolved and to continue NATO's enlargement process to include other allies in the future,” Perino said.
