NATO’s Rasmussen: We wish to see Western Balkans in NATO, Montenegro on good path

Budva, Montenegro (30 June 2011) – After bilateral talks yesterday afternoon, Prime Minister Igor Lukšić and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen gave statements for the media and underlined the steady progress of the Western Balkans and Montenegro towards NATO membership. Mr Rasmussen stressed that NATO would gladly see all the Western Balkans countries as members.

Mr Rasmussen took the opportunity to “deliver a very clear message to the peoples of the Western Balkans: we want to see you as members of our Euro-Atlantic family.” He also addressed the region with a message of support: “We are ready to assist you in your endeavours to reform your countries and promote peace and prosperity.” He built on that message pledging that it is his “mission to see all countries in the Western Balkans improve their relationship with NATO and the EU in the future.”

Mr Rasmussen stressed that Montenegro has been very successful in completing its tasks under the Membership Action Plan (MAP) by saying that the “first year of MAP was a great success.” He highlighted the significant progress made in Montenegro and underlined that he commends the Government “and Prime Minister personally for strong efforts to reform Montenegrin society,” underlining that “there is still some work to do, not least in the areas of fight against organised crime and corruption.” He also commended “Montenegro for the constructive role it has played in promoting regional security and stability,” adding that the US-Adriatic Charter (A5) is a good framework for regional cooperation.

Mr Rasmussen thanked Montenegro for its involvement in Afghanistan and said that “Montenegrin troops do a great job,” and underlined that Montenegro’s “contribution is also a testament to your commitment to international security and stability.”

PM Lukšić reiterated that NATO membership is one of the key foreign policy priorities of Montenegro. He said that there are many reasons in favour of Montenegro joining NATO, such as the fact that “NATO is a guarantor of stability and peace in the region,” and he stressed that “it is only logical for our country to aspire to join the Alliance.”

He also underlined that in the previous period there has been a growing trend of support for Euro-Atlantic integration among Montenegrin citizens. He also said that it is his understanding, based on recent surveys, that the fact that almost 80% of citizens believe Montenegro will join NATO is a sort of “an implicit support” which, in his words, is very important in this process. PM Lukšić also added that in the near future he expects the citizens to recognise increasingly the benefits of NATO membership.

By saying that “we remain dedicated to the principles of the ISAF mission and we are ready to take part, within A5, in the joint team for the training of Afghan security forces,” PM Lukšić concluded that Montenegro will continue doing utmost to contribute to the global peace and security.