Before the ratification can begin, NATO accession negotiations need to be done by the end of this month, and Protocols of Accession need to be signed on May 19th and 20th, during the meeting of ministers of foreign affairs of the Alliance.
After signing Protocols of Accession, Montenegro will have a right to attend NATO’s meetings, starting from its highest body to the lowest. However, it will still not have the right to vote in the meetings.
Representatives of Montenegro will attend NATO Summit in Warsaw on July 8th and 9th, where they will have a status of the ‘invited’.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made a statement this week to the Voice of America, saying that the Alliance is currently occupied with the accession of it newest member, Montenegro. We decided to invite Montenegro to join NATO. Now we are in process of final negotiations. NATO will then be active in supporting the process of ratification in national parliaments. In the end of the process, NATO will have its new, 29th member, Stoltenberg underlined.
Montenegro has started accession negotiations during February in Brussels. The negotiations cover details of membership, including military, legislation, fight against organized crime and other matters.
Task of Montenegro was to present the plan for the continuation of reforms. In the end of March, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Igor Lukšić has sent a Letter of Intent to NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The letter stated Montenegro’s interest in joining Alliance and its readiness to accept the rights and obligations that come with the membership.
When all of the members have ratified Protocol of Accession, Montenegro will be able to join Washington Treaty and become NATO’s 29th member. The final step to membership is submitting the Protocols to USA and its State Department, where all the documents of the Alliance are kept. This will be final step in Montenegro’s full membership to NATO.
Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee Petr Pavel stated to Pobjeda in March that judging by the experience of latest NATO members, the process of ratification can last until spring of 2017, after which Montenegro will join NATO.
