Mikser congratulates Montenegro on NATO accession
Foreign Minister Sven Mikser (SDE) congratulated Montenegro on its accession to full NATO membership on Monday. The country became a full member upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the U.S. Senate. The Riigikogu approved Montenegro’s accession to NATO in October last year.
“With Montenegro’s accession, NATO will be present along the whole Adriatic coast, in addition to Greece, Albania and Croatia,” Mikser was quoted in a ministry press release on Tuesday. “The accession of Montenegro will strengthen the stability and security of the Western Balkans, which in turn will support the security of NATO and Europe,” he emphasised.
Mikser added that Estonia had consistently supported Montenegro’s accession both to NATO and the European Union. “Every country has a right to choose its strategy and international alliances to belong to without some other country’s interference,” the Foreign Minister said. “Accession to NATO is a historic step, based on Montenegro’s strategic choice and ambitious reforms implemented by the country,” he added.
The Foreign Minister also pointed out that NATO’s open door policy and the EU’s enlargement policy continue to be the key drivers for reforms.
Mikser visited Montenegro in February this year. The foreign ministers of the two countries affirmed that relations between Estonia and Montenegro are good. At the same time they acknowledged that relations could be developed even further in the fields of tourism, ICT, cyber defense, and cooperation between universities.
A flag-raising ceremony for Montenegro as the 29th member of the alliance will take place on 7 June in Brussels.
Editor: Dario Cavegn
