Wilson said foreign politics of Montenegro and its position on an international scene are very successful.
“This is a country that made good moves. It regained its independence and ensured the future for its citizens. This was a decade of decisions that Montenegro’s citizens will benefit from. Independence brought autonomy in decision making and it ensured big progress. You are in charge of your own fate. Montenegro has a great story in a region that is difficult and now it will also have safe future. Negotiations of Montenegro and NATO are now a formality. There obligations on the road to EU, but your progress is steady. I believe everything will go as it should and I would like to once again welcome Montenegro to NATO and Prime Minister of Montenegro to NATO Summit in Warsaw”, Wilson said in his interview to Pobjeda.
He gave some insight about when could USA Congress give ratification about Montenegro joining NATO.
“That is a period of one or two years. It depends on parliaments of other countries. Sometimes it takes more time, sometimes less. However, we should not make a drama out of it. It is a formality dependent on agendas of other parliaments. What is most important is that Montenegro carries on with reforms, and as far as USA is concerned, political calendar of the Congress is very complicated now and it has nothing to do with Montenegro. I hope the ratification is done in this term, because if it makes it over to the new Congress, it will take more time. This is all a matter of internal affairs in the USA. We will see how it goes. Better late than never”, he said.
He does not believe that outside involvements can influence the pace of ratification.
“I do not see obstacles to fast ratification. It is important that Montenegro continues with reforms. As far as Russia’s influence is concerned, we can expect provocations. We learned from Russia that it will always try to ruin the process. You have seen in the past, when Russia makes pressure on NATO, NATO carries on. We should expect some political games from Russia, but this is not a threat to Montenegro, it is only smoke. Montenegro has its own agenda, it must be focused on it, and Russian influence will not be felt”, Wilson was clear.
An invitation from NATO is a new step in stability for the whole region.
“It is a big decision and a signal to the whole region to carry on with integration. This decision will bring new investments to the region, because the safety puzzle is finally made. This is a message to Sarajevo, Banjaluka and Belgrade of what should be done on the road to integration. But getting and invitation does not mean stopping reforms, it means even more work and even stronger efforts. Montenegro has also EU obligations, related to the rule of law. It leads the others in the Western Balkan”, Wilson concluded.
