Accession of Montenegro to NATO

Photo: MoD of Montenegro

Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said after talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that Montenegro will formally become a member of NATO on June 5, reported RTCG.

Montenegro parliament ratified on Friday the law on the country's accession to NATO - the military bloc that bombed the Balkan nation in 1999. All 46 lawmakers present at the session (out of 81) voted in favor of the country becoming a member of the Alliance.

Montenegro's parliament is set to ratify the NATO membership treaty on Friday, at a ceremonial session held in the old royal capital of Cetinje.

The vote will mark one of the final steps in the country's long drawn-out accession process.

The law is likely to pass, as it only requires a simple majority of the 81 MPs, and the ruling coalition holds 42 seats.

Montenegro's Foreign Ministry on Thursday dismissed Kremlin's claims that Russian citizens could be endangered in Montenegro due to worsening relations between the two countries.

The ministry said a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman's talk of growing "anti-Russian hysteria" in Montenegro were totally unfounded.

The decision of US President Donald Trump to sign the protocol on the accession of Montenegro to NATO reflects a "deeply erroneous" policy.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this in a statement issued on Thursday.

After US President Donald Trump signed the NATO accession protocol for Montenegro - removing one of the last remaining obstacles to membership of the alliance - NATO foes in Montenegro are looking to The Netherlands - one of two alliance members which still did not ratify the treaty, along with Spain - to block the process.

AP Photo/ Jae C. Hong

US President Donald Trump has signed a protocol on the accession of Montenegro to NATO, which has completed its ratification procedure in the United States.

The White House has not officially released a statement on the signing of the protocol, Voice of America is reporting on Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump has signed a protocol on the accession of Montenegro to NATO, which has completed its ratification procedure in the United States.

The White House has not officially released a statement on the signing of the protocol, Voice of America is reporting on Tuesday.

Montenegro is ready to become the newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty organisation after the US Senate voted by a large majority to ratify the accession of the country to the alliance, reported The New York Times, cited by Focus agency.

97 senators voted "for" and only 2 voted "against" the accession of Montenegro to NATO.

The US Senate has ratified a protocol on the accession of Montenegro to NATO.

"The long-delayed vote was 97-2 in favor of Montenegro's accession," Reuters reported.