From total of 28 members of the Alliance, the Protocol was so far ratified by: Iceland, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Albania, Bulgaria, Poland, Turkey.
„When our experience is compared with experiences of previous expension cycles (Albania and Croatia), we can note that the process of ratification is happening in almost the same speed as back then, and we can be pleased about it”, they said in MVPEI.
There are different reasons for 20 countries who have still not ratified the Protocol.
„But none of the members lack the political will to do so. According to the latest information, most countries will ratify the Protocol shortly, in the autumn of 2016”, they said in the Ministry.
MVPEI said that waiting is a consequence of complicated administrative procedures of certain countries.
„There are no indications that the process of ratification will take longer than spring next year, when Montenegro is expected to formally join NATO“, it was stated in MVPEI.
Montenegro has a status of an observer at NATO meetings now.
„By becoming a member, Montenegro gets to experience and create the safety in the international sense. Montenegro already had a chance to take part in important discussion in Warsaw. Such will be the case with other meetings during the process of ratification”, they said in MVPEI.
This is very important for our country, because it gives us a chance to prepare for joining NATO, which entails a lot of knowledge and skills to be used everyday.
„It is of great importance for our institutions and officials to see how does the Alliance work, so they can experience firsthand the nature of the business they will perform next year. To create collective safety is great privilege and responsibility, that should be done seriously, professionally and readily”, MVPEI stated.
Montenegro has signed the Accession Protocol on May 19th in Brussels. All the members of the Alliance need to ratify the Protocol in their parliaments before Montenegro can join. Finally, Montenegro is to ratify in its own parliament, which ends the process, and our country becomes a member of NATO.
