Podgorica "expects NATO invitation" by end of year

Podgorica "expects NATO invitation" by end of year

PODGORICA -- Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic has said that his country was steadily moving toward the EU and NATO.

According to him, Montenegro will be invited to join the western military alliance "by the end of the year."

jukanovic also stated he was not happy with the pace of Montenegro's development, a country that "still lags behind Europe," and added that this gap could be bridged by "cleverly improving the business climate, using positive experiences, and capital."

According to him, Montenegro needs "renowned foreign business partners."

Speaking at a gathering organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Montenegro, Djukanovic said that Montenegro's growth rate was "insufficient," and came as a consequence of "the Balkans falling behind" - but that "we can say we're on the right track."

He identified unemployment as "the most difficult social problem that the country is highly dedicated to (solving)."

He then spoke about the rule of law as "a key challenge," saying that "putting the emphasis on it is not an imperative that is being imposed, it is an internal need."

There can be no economic development without developing infrastructure, Djukanovic said, adding that "despite the long period of living along each other in the Balkans we don't know each other well enough, so we must connect, and that can be best done through infrastructure."

The Podgorica-based website CdM also quoted him as saying that Montenegro was an attractive investment destination, but that "much remains to be done to remove business barriers."