Montenegrin Authorities Should Let People Decide on Joining NATO in Referendum

Montenegrin authorities should allow its people to decide on whether or not the country should join the the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) by way of a referendum vote, Marko Milacic, the executive director of the Movement for Neutrality of Montenegro non-governmental organization, told Sputnik on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, the US Senate voted in favor of allowing Montenegro to join NATO.

"Our task now is to make authorities ensure that the decision on the accession to NATO is made by us, citizens, because a large percentage of the population, 84 percent, are in favor of a referendum. Even those 68 percent that back our country's joining the alliance want a referendum," Milacic said.

Montenegro was invited to join the NATO on December 2, 2015. Podgorica accepted the invitation the following day, an action which subsequently triggered protests in the Balkan nation.

In late January, the country’s prime minister said Montenegro expected to become a full-fledged NATO member before the next summit of the military alliance, which is scheduled for May.