Press release: Prime Minister Zeljko Sturanovic meets with Ambassadors of NATO countries to Montenegro

Prime Minister Zeljko Sturanovic met in Podgorica today with ambassadors of the NATO member states accredited to Montenegro.

Having welcomed the initiative for holding regular meetings of ambassadors of NATO countries to Montenegro, the Prime Minister said that the meeting was an excellent opportunity to assemble and share information on Montenegros Euro-Atlantic integration. He also thanked the Greed Embassy for hosting the meeting and for being the NATO contract embassy.

Prime Minister Sturanovic pointed out that NATO membership was one of the Governments strategic priorities, adding that Montenegro had taken major steps in that direction since the restoration of its statehood. The new defense system has been introduced, the Ministry of Defense established, the legislative framework for the defense and security system adopted, civil and democratic control over professional armed service established, Montenegro has signed the Framework Document and become a member of NATOs PfP, confirming its path of Euro-Atlantic integration and NATO membership as its final goal.

The Government has appointed steering committees for Euro-Atlantic integration, the Partnership for Peace Council and the Interdepartmental Committee for Partnership for Peace, and endorsed the Presentation Document, the Communication Strategy for Euro-Atlantic Integration and a six months Action Plan for its implementation. It also opened the Montenegrin Mission to NATO in Brussels and signed a number of agreements.

Prime Minister Sturanovic voiced hope that public support to Montenegros integration into NATO, which was still not at a satisfactory level, above all due to a lack of information, would grow. The Alliance is now a political organization making decisions by consensus, and the process of NATO integration involved advancement in comprehensive social reforms. In addition, in the process of NATO integration standards and requirements of modern democratic societies are being met, which are universal values and of critical importance for Montenegros accession to the EU.

The Prime Minister expressed Montenegros interest in political support from NATO members on its path of Euro-Atlantic integration, particularity in terms of a more intense political dialogue through the Individual Partnership Action Plan. The purpose of the political dialogue, accompanied by military and defense reforms, is for Montenegro to become part of the Intensified Dialogue at the Bucharest NATO Summit in April 2008.

It was agreed that Montenegro had made considerable progress towards NATO integration, but there were still many challenges and it could expect further support from NATO member countries both in political terms and in terms of reforming the defense and security sector.