NATO Anniversary Highlights Divisions in Montenegro

As the Montenegrin government marks the first anniversary of NATO membership with a celebration in the royal capital Cetinje on Tuesday, for the large community of ethnic Serbs in the country, joining the alliance is still seen as an illegal decision that was imposed on them without a vote.

The government argues that membership of the alliance is a historic achievement for a country which gained independence just 12 years ago, but for the opposition parties, pro-Serbian organisations and the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church in the country, NATO is the organisation which bombed the country in 1999, during the Kosovo war.

Meeting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday, Montenegro's president Milo Djukanovic said that accession also means stability for the Western Balkans.

"Montenegro has confirmed its stable, decisive commitment to a European and Euro-Atlantic course. All last year's events, especially the outcome of the elections [which his party won], convincingly confirmed that," Djukanovic said, also referring to the alleged Russian-backed coup attempt in October 2016 which Montenegro's authorities claim was planned to stop the country joining NATO.

Stoltenberg thanked Montenegro for committing to increase the number of troops it is deploying to the alliance's training mission in Afghanistan, and welcomed the country's decision to increasing defence spending "with a clear plan" to invest 2 per cent of GDP in defence by 2024.

But an MP from the pro-Russian Democratic Front opposition alliance, Slaven Radunovic, said on June 3 that over the last year, the country's citizens have not seen any benefit from NATO membership.

He also said that by joining NATO, it become acceptable for the will of the people not to be...

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