Brussels: Montenegro successfully completes IV MAP cycle

Brussels, Belgium (18 June 2014) — The meeting between Montenegro and the North Atlantic Council (NAC) took place at NATO HQ in Brussels on 18 June to discuss Montenegro's progress within the Fourth cycle of the Membership Action Plan (MAP). Montenegro's delegation was headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Igor Lukšić and Defence Minister Milica Pejanović-Đurišić.

Mr Lukšić and Ms Pejanović-Đurišić spoke about the activities Montenegro has implemented under the IV MAP cycle and reiterated that the country remains fully committed to meeting the membership criteria.

At the meeting chaired by NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the member-states welcomed the progress made over the past year and agreed that notable results have been made in the four key areas. They welcomed the commitment with which Montenegro is undertaking its tasks and they were hopeful that it will continue meeting the remaining commitments with the view to moving closer to the Alliance in this key phase of integration. The member-states reiterated their commitment to the open-door policy and underlined that the hitherto progress will be taken into account when deciding on Montenegro's further progress toward membership.

During their stay in Brussels, the Montenegrin delegation also held a separate meeting with Secretary-General Rasmusesen. Along the lines of the messages he has sent during his recent stay in Podgorica, Mr Rasmussen made a very positive assessment of Montenegro's activities and the results made, and he encouraged Montenegro to continue with reforms. On this occasion, Mr Rasmussen thanked Montenegro for its contribution to the ISAF mission and noted the member-states greatly appreciate those efforts.

According to the assessments made at today's meeting, Montenegro has successfully completed the IV MAP cycle