BELGRADE (Sputnik) — In April, The Russian Foreign Ministry described the ratification of the law on Podgorica's accession to the alliance by the Montenegrin parliament amid nationwide protests against the move as “violation of all democratic principles."
“Russia openly interfered in our internal affairs, what we, of course, do not approve. Russia has been pursuing a policy of spheres of interest, opposing the expansion of NATO. We decided to define our main goals by ourselves, and we were surprised by how much Russia intervened,” the minister said, as quoted by the RTCG broadcaster on Sunday.
Russia has repeatedly accused NATO of eastward expansion, which contradicts previous commitments by Western leaders. The bloc was created to offset the Soviet military might and that of the 1955 Warsaw Treaty Organization, which was dissolved in 1991.