Montenegro begins Negotiations to Enter NATO

On February 15-16th, Brussels will meet the representative of Montenegro and NATO to discuss the conditions for admittance into the North Atlantic Alliance.  The strategic decision on Montenegro’s accession to NATO was approved at the Warsaw NATO Summit in December 2015. This meeting will consider the discussion of the membership’s details, including political, military and law issues. After the negotiations, the Alliance member-states will sign the protocol on the accession of Montenegro. It will allow the country to participate in all NATO events as the invited state. After the protocol’s ratification, Montenegro will become the North Atlantic Alliance full member. The critical fact is that the negotiations began at the same date as the Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Đukanović's birthday.

New Extension

Montenegro’s accession to NATO is the first expansion of the Alliance to the East over the past 6 years. Previously, it absorbed almost all Eastern European countries: the former Warsaw Pact countries and the Republic of Yugoslavia. Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia remains the exception.

Anti-Serbian Initiative

The main reason of Montenegro’s accession is the geographical position of the country. After accepting Montenegro, Serbia, the traditional main continental force in the Balkans, is cut off from the Adriatic Sea and becomes landlocked. NATO continues to capture and divide the Orthodox space. The accession of Montenegro also has a symbolic character, preparing the possibility of Serbia joining the Alliance.

People Disagree

Most of the population of Montenegro is opposed to the accession into NATO. Since autumn last year, the cities across the country have hosted mass protests. The canonical Metropolis of Serbian Orthodox Church is sharply against NATO accession. An important stimulus for dissatisfied protests is the corrupt regime of Prime Minister Milo Đukanović, famous for his connections with international criminal organizations.

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