BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said Thursday he hoped that the alpine nation would become a full NATO member next year.
Djukanovic was speaking at the North Atlantic Council (NAC) meeting in Brussels where he inked a protocol on Montenegro’s accession to the military bloc. The deal is to be ratified by all 28 NATO member states.
"We know that this is not the end of our efforts," Djukanovic said at a press conference. "We will create conditions for the member states to ratify the accession protocol…We believe it will be possible to do that in the following year."
In his turn, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg pointed out that Montenegro already contributed to the bloc’s operations, promoting cooperation in the Balkans and implementing major reforms. He added that a full membership would give Montenegro the ability to help shape NATO policy.
