Montenegro achieves progress towards EU-NATO membership, pursues needed reforms

In addition to recent progress in its relations with the European Union, Montenegro has made significant headways in its fight against corruption and organized crime. In the meantime, the authorities have been conducting a judiciary reform that aims at strengthening the rule of law and making the country reach the standards required by NATO.

Along with the EU membership process, the accession to the military alliance has been "one of Montenegro's key foreign policy goals" for the last decade, Deputy Prime Minister Dusko Markovic told permanent representatives to NATO Slovenian Ambassador Andrej Benedejcic, Slovak Ambassador Frantisek Kasicky, Luxembourg Ambassador Jean-Jaques Welfring and Croatian Ambassador Boris Grigic at a meeting in Podgorica on February 12. "The only way of strengthening the stability of the (Western Balkans) is to pursue NATO integration path," affirmed Prime Minister Milo Dukanovic.

More specifically, Minister of Defense Milica Pejanovic-Durisic informed the ambassadors about the reform of Montenegro defense sector and underlined the importance of the regional cooperation. "Montenegro will continue its collaboration with the countries that share the same strategic objectives and values," Ms Pejanovic-Durisic said. The foreign officials welcomed Montenegro's "visible progress" towards Euro-Atlantic integration and reiterated their respective countries' "full support." On February 11, United States Ambassador Robert D. Gelbard also acknowledged such a "notable" progress in a meeting with Mr Dukanovic.

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