He said that invitation to Montenegro to join NATO is in important turning point for this country, safety and stability in the Western Balkan, and whole Europe.
“Progress in reforms was one of the deciding factors in deciding to invite Montenegro to join. Of course, it is important that Montenegro continues to build results in rule of law, before and after joining NATO“, Nikolay Nenchev said to MINA agency.
According to him, there is no doubt that the invitation to join NATO is a recognition of efforts in reforms process.
“However, Montenegrin officials should keep pace in reforms in rule of law and additionally increase public support for NATO integration. There is a lot of work to be done in these two areas“, Nenchev said.
According to him, the support of the public is crucial when it comes to successful culmination of integration process.
“NATO is a family of people who share values and interests. Allies expect to see majority of people of Montenegro sharing the same values and wanting to be a part of the family, contributing to the safety. We expect the Government to continue the efforts to explain the values of partnership to people of Montenegro, so the support is even bigger“, said Nikolay Nenchev.
He said that Montenegro, in accordance with its capacities, significantly contributed to the missions and operations of the Alliance, which is greatly appreciated by the allies.
“The army of Montenegro put in effort in these operations, and now acts together with the forces of Alliance. Of course, we expect Montenegro to continue working on modernization of armed forces and additionally increase the budget for defense, in accordance with plans presented by the Government“, Nikolay Nenchev stated.
He said that every nation has a right to chose its own road, without outside influence.
“We hope that Russia will respect sovereign decision of Montenegrin people. We hope that political elite will keep the support for integration, especially in these crucial months before Warsaw summit“, Nenchev said.
It is important that Montenegro keeps full dedication to fulfilling its obligations as a member and to keep up with reforms, especially in the rule of law and continued growth of public support.
