Montenegro General Election to Test Country's Bid to Join NATO

There is a chance that the parliamentary elections in Montenegro in 2016 may reverse the country's course on NATO accession, Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Đukanović said.

 

"The Montenegro Constitution does not stipulate a referendum on NATO membership — that's the parliament's prerogative," Đukanović said in an interview with Russia's Kommersant business daily.

 

"The upcoming parliamentary elections will become a real test of public attitude toward the country's membership in the Alliance. If the parties that oppose the NATO bid win, the decision will not clear the parliament, and vice versa," Đukanović stressed.

 

NATO has invited Montenegro to start accession talks to become the 29th member of the alliance, despite deep divisions on the matter within the tiny Adriatic nation.

 

Moscow has warned that the move would only worsen the situation in Western Balkans and destabilize the situation in Montenegro.