Montenegro becomes newest member of NATO

World Today

NATO foreign ministers signed to allow Montenegro to become the newest member of the alliance. Montenegro will become the newest member of NATO subject to the approval of all member states.

The country signed its accession protocol at a foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels.

CCTV’s Elena Casas reports.

Montenegro has been in talks to join NATO since 2009. That was also the year its former Yugoslav neighbor Croatia joined NATO.

“This is important for Montenegro because Montenegro in this way clearly declares its intention to implement the new system of values which is based exactly on the values that are at the cornerstone of the Euro-Atlantic Alliance,” Milo Djukanovic, Montenegro’s prime minister said.

Russia has threatened to cut economic ties with Montenegro over a NATO membership.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said any retaliation from Russia would be absolutely unjustified and Montenegro’s membership is crucial to the stability of the western Balkans.

“We are constantly looking for ways we can contribute to further enhance the stability of the whole region, and NATO enlargement has been an important tool to achieve exactly that,” Stoltenberg said.

For Montenegro’s government, this is a key step towards integration with the West, which they hope could eventually lead to EU membership.