NATO enlargement is not on the agenda of the forthcoming summit in Chicago, while Greece is preoccupied with its economic crisis in order Macedonia's request of obtaining a membership invitation at the May summit to be fulfilled, The New York Times reports.

"There are few indications of movement on the issue, however. Greece is in the midst of a financial crisis, hoping to avoid becoming the first member nation of the European economic zone to default. In such an environment, there is little incentive within the Greek political system to resolve an international dispute over its neighbor," says in his article Thom Shakner - a correspondent of The New York Times on issues related to the Balkans and security policy.

Shakner writes that meetings at the NATO summit will focus on the future of the alliance war effort in Afghanistan, mostly how to end it, and ways to reshape member militaries around a concept called "smart defense", while the ascent of new members is not even on the agenda.

The journalist presents Macedonia's arguments for NATO membership outlined by Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki who is visiting the United States.

"We are an exporter of security forces to NATO. But we are in the waiting room for membership," FM Poposki told The New York Times.

The New York Times says that on a per-capita basis, Macedonia is the fifth-largest contributor of forces to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, providing about 175 people responsible for providing security around the NATO headquarters in Kabul and across the Afghan capital’s diplomatic zone, which includes the American Embassy. Macedonian troops also are training Afghan security forces. The effort eats up about 10 percent of the republic’s defense budget. Macedonia previously contributed about 500 troops to the American-led effort in Iraq.

Macedonian troops will remain in Afghanistan until the formal end of the NATO mission - December 2014 - and that there is no pressure in Parliament for an early withdrawal, as there is in some member nations. It is stressed that Greece has been a member of NATO since 1952 and keeps on objecting Macedonia's accession.