PM Marković at NATO meeting in Brussels: Montenegro to be committed to NATO enlargement once it becomes member of Alliance

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Brussels, Belgium (25 May 2017) – Prime Minister Duško Marković, accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović and Minister of Defence Predrag Boškovć, headed the Montenegrin delegation at the meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government which took place in Brussels. In accordance with the forthcoming formal membership in NATO, Montenegro was part of all the activities in the full-fledged capacity, including the fact that it has been placed between Luxembourg and the Netherlands, which shows in a symbolic way that the Alliance is welcoming a new ally. Today’s meeting was attended for the first time by presidents of the United States and France, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron.

The working part of the meeting discussed current issues related to the Euro – Atlantic security, with a particular emphasis on strengthening the transatlantic unity and fighting terrorism. NATO member states agreed to allocate the necessary 2% of their GDP for defence as soon as possible, which has also been confirmed by the adopted agreement.

The meeting also highlighted that one of the priorities is strengthening NATO engagement in fighting terrorism within the membership in the Global Coalition committed to defeating ISIL. In that regard, the recent terrorist attack in Manchester city was strongly condemned and all the participants expressed their solidarity with the Great Britain and victims of the attack. The meeting also commended the overall successful cooperation with the EU, voicing willingness to boosting ties in the coming period, thus announcing that the next NATO Summit will be held in 2018.

Prime Minister Duško Marković thanked all NATO member states for having ratified the Accession Protocol in a timely manner, adding that the national procedure for the ratification of the North Atlantic Treaty in Montenegro has been completed. He highlighted that Montenegro is ready to join NATO, stressing that the country will continue contributing to the key priorities of the Alliance, namely defence and preserving stability beyond its borders.
Montenegro as a new ally strongly supports NATO engagement in the fight against terrorism, PM Marković emphasised, adding that the country will also be committed to promoting peace and stability in the Western Balkans. Montenegro is also willing to continue supporting the NATO enlargement, PM Marković pointed out.

“The courage and wisdom of the Montenegrin people, our vision and your support have enabled us to achieve historical accomplishment for Montenegro – the full membership in the most powerful alliance of our time,” PM Marković stressed in his address to the leaders of 28 NATO member states.

After NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has sent a formal invitation to Montenegro to join the North Atlantic Treaty, Montenegro will formally become the 29th NATO member state by depositing ratification instrument to the US State Department. The formal ceremony of raising the Montenegrin flag at the NATO Headquarters is scheduled for 7 June.