Cardiff: Montenegro on the NATO ‘fast lane’, we see it as the next Alliance member

Cardiff, Wales, The United Kingdom (4 September 2014) – While attending the NATO Summit in Wales, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Igor Lukšić participated at the meeting of NATO foreign ministers with foreign ministers of aspiring countries – Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Georgia.

The meeting confirmed NATO’s commitment to the open door policy and voiced the Alliance’s readiness for enlargement when the countries meet the requirements.

Member-states’ ministers noted that Montenegro has made an impressive progress in implementing reforms and said that the June NATO ministerial meeting sent Montenegro a strong message of support by deciding to launch intensified and focused talks. The ministers were hopeful that Montenegro would continue its stable course of reforms and voiced their readiness to extend, if reforms are successful, an invitation for membership by the end of 2015 at the latest. They also stated that Montenegro is “on the NATO fast lane” and that they view it as the next Alliance member.

Minister Lukšić underlined that Montenegro views the Alliance’s decision to launch intensified and focused talks as a recognition of its hitherto efforts in the process of NATO integration, as well as an opportunity Montenegro will take to show its readiness for membership and secure and invitation by the end of 2015. He underlined that Montenegro views the intensified and focused talks as an excellent mechanisms which in the forthcoming year will be utilised to help implement reforms in the four key areas – reform of the security and defence sectors, boosting public support for membership, and the rule of law. He also noted that he expects with valid optimism that pursuant to its results Montenegro will become a NATO member at the forthcoming summit.

At the margins of the event the minister held a series of short meetings with his counterparts.