SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia's leaders are hoping Pope Francis will strongly encourage greater integration in European institutions following the resolution of a decades-long name dispute with Greece and the election of a pro-EU new president.

Francis arrives in North Macedonia, a small Balkan nation of about 2.1 million people, on Tuesday in the first-ever papal visit to the country. He is coming on the second and final leg of a Balkan visit that took him first to Bulgaria.

Viktor Dimovski, North Macedonia's foreign ministry state secretary, told reporters Monday that the visit was historic and comes at a crucial moment as North Macedonia seeks entry into the European Union and NATO.