Last minute preparations are underway in Romania's capital Bucharest for what will be NATO's biggest ever summit. And there is no shortage of thorny topics to be discussed at the city's vast parliamentary palace. The 26-member alliance is split over granting Georgia and Ukraine a road map to eventual entry because of opposition from Russia.
Possible invitations to join NATO are on the agenda for Croatia, Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia but only if it can resolve a long-running row with Greece. The NATO member is threatening to veto Macedonia's membership bid unless it alters its name, a prospect that sparked protests in Skopje.
Hundreds gathered in the Macedonian capital to reject any change. Athens is opposed to the name Macedonia because it is the same as Greece's northernmost province, birthplace of Alexander the Great.
Reflecting the views of many Macedonians, political analyst Dane Taleski said: "An old member of NATO is blocking the road. Most people see this as blackmail by Greece and, as things stand at the moment, it will be very difficult to find a compromise."
There is no easy end in sight to this dispute, given the strength of feeling in Macedonia against Greece's demands. A billboard in Skopje features a Nazi swastika on a Greek flag.
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