BRUSSELS – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed Montenegro’s path to membership on Wednesday (25 November 2015) in talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Igor Lukšić and Defence Minister, Professor Milica Pejanović-Đurišić. The ministers met the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General, Ambassador Alexander Vershbow, before participating in a meeting of the North Atlantic Council.
The meeting of the North Atlantic Council was an opportunity for Allies to consult with Montenegro on its membership aspirations, and welcome the country’s significant progress on reforms. At their meeting next week, NATO Foreign Ministers will decide whether to invite Montenegro to join the Alliance.
The Secretary General led the ambassadors of the North Atlantic Council on a visit to Montenegro in October 2015. During that visit, Mr. Stoltenberg said that joining the Euro-Atlantic family would be 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.