(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-21 16:30

TIRANA -- NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is to pay a visit to Macedonia on Monday, news reaching here from Skopje reported on Sunday.

During his stay in Macedonia, de Hoop Scheffer will meet with Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and Defense Minister Lazar Elenovski.

He is expected to reiterate that NATO is determined to admit Macedonia into the alliance once its name dispute with Greece has been resolved.

Macedonia's NATO membership was blocked by Greece over a 17 year-long name dispute between the two countries earlier this month at a NATO summit in Romania.

Athens has been opposed to its neighbor being called the "Republic of Macedonia," arguing the name implies a territorial claim over a Greek northern province also called Macedonia.