PODGORICA – Montenegro can expect to become a full member of NATO by mid-2017, Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milo Đukanović said in an interview with Russian television Dozhd, broadcast by Montenegrin national television, late on Wednesday.
Asked if he feared that his wish for his country to be stable could worsen relations with Russia, Đukanović said that Montenegro treated the history of relations with Russia which spanned over three hundred years with respect, but it had the right and was able to choose its own future.
The fact that Montenegro sees its future in the EU and NATO is not directed against anyone, including the Russian partners, Đukanović said.
Our road to the EU and NATO is in our own interests, but it was not in any way triggered by a desire to do harm to anyone. We are sorry about the way Russia sees our NATO membership bid. We hope it is only temporary and that it is not carrying with it the risk of permanently damaging relations between Montenegro and Russia, said Đukanović.