Secretary General encourages Montenegro to keep up with reforms during North Atlantic Council visit
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg encouraged Montenegro to stay the course on reforms on Thursday (15 October 2015) stressing that “full implementation of the reforms is key” to the country’s bid to join NATO. “Montenegro has already introduced substantial reforms. You have made important progress in strengthening the rule of law and I encourage you to further build public support for membership,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.
He spoke at the end of a two-day working visit of the North Atlantic Council to the country which assessed Montenegro’s progress on its bid to join the Alliance. The Secretary General said putting in place the reforms was not easy. “It demands strong commitment, but it can be done and Montenegro is taking the right steps.” The visit by the NATO Ambassadors will feed into deliberations by Allies ahead of a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in December where they will decide whether to invite Montenegro to join the Alliance.
Mr. Stoltenberg said that joining the Euro-Atlantic family “is a win-win” for Montenegro and for NATO. “Countries which joined the Alliance have been able to strengthen their democracy, boost their security and make their citizens safer,” he said.
During the visit the Secretary General and Ambassadors met with top Montenegrin government officials including President Filip Vujanović, Prime Minister Milo Đjukanović, Deputy Prime Minister for Political System, Internal and Foreign Policy Duško Marković, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Igor Lukšić, Defence Minister, Milica Pejanović Đurišić and Minister of Justice, Zoran Pažin. Talks were also held with Speaker of the Parliament Ranko Krivokapić and other members of the Montenegrin Parliament.