Montenegro Starts NATO Accession Talks

• 02.16.2016, 23:30
•  Europe,  World

www.pravdiko.mk

Montenegro has begun formal talks to enter NATO, the alliance said on Monday. NATO official Thrasyvoulos Stamatopoulos met Montenegro's NATO ambassador Dragana Radulovic in Brussels to discuss "political, legal and military questions" relating to membership. Stamatopoulos said accession would "reinforce Montenegro’s security and sovereignty".

In the post-Cold War era, NATO saw a 75-percent increase in membership – from 16 to 28 members. The 12 new members were all in Eastern Europe, either former Warsaw Pact member states, including three former Soviet republics, or former Yugoslav federal republics, The Sputnik News reports.

On December 2, 2015, NATO invited Montenegro to join the military bloc, in its first expansion into Eastern Europe in six years. Podgorica accepted the invitation the following day. The decision triggered protests in the capital, with some 5,000 opponents taking the streets.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova declared earlier that in Moscow they note a deep split in Montenegro's society on the subject of membership to NATO. "It is all about the internal political crisis which is followed by protest performances of citizens," Zakharova said."We believe that the people in Montenegro have to hold a referendum on this question. It would be a manifestation of democracy for which we call.'' Moscow Journal reports. 

It should be recalled that there were protests before the parliament building of the capital of the country Podgoritsa since September last year against policy of the prime minister Milo Dzhukanovich, including against the entry of the country into NATO. Protesters demanded that Dzhukanovich retired and the transitional government was created. They tried to break into the parliament building, threw bottles on policemen. In reply guards applied tear gas and stun grenades. During the protests 15 police officers and 24 participants suffered.

However, by the available estimates, negotiations to enter NATO will last for 1,5-2 years after which all 28 countries of NATO will have to approve the decision on reception of Montenegro.