Macedonia will beef up its military presence in Afghanistan by sending more troops as early as the start of next year, local media reported on Tuesday.
Skopje will deploy an additional 80 troops to the NATO-led International Security Assistance
Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. With the reinforcement, the country will have some 240 soldiers stationed there.
"The main task of our army will be providing military training for the Afghan army. We are sending mentors who will work with the Afghan soldiers," Macedonian Deputy Defense Minister
Emil Dimitriev told local media.
Macedonia sees its presence in Afghanistan as a good way of maintaining good cooperation
with NATO and the United States.
Last year, NATO said the country was ready to join the block but Greece blocked its
accession due to a long-standing name row.
Athens argues Skopje's formal name of the Republic of Macedonia implies territorial claims
towards Greece's own Northern Province, which is also called Macedonia.