NATO

Opposition groups are planning an anti-NATO rally on Saturday, demanding a referendum on Montenegro's upcoming membership of the Western alliance.

On December 2, Montenegro received a long-awaited invitation to become the 29th member of NATO. The government called it a "historic moment".

The Serbian Army (VS) chief has asked NATO's KFOR in Kosovo "to devote more attention to Gorazdevac and other non-Albanian majority areas."

NATO Secretary General  Jens Stoltenberg has reiterated the call made by the Alliance foreign ministers last week to Bosnia and Herzegovina's leaders to undertake the political, economic and defence reforms needed for the country to realise its Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

No Bulgarian servicemen were injured in a rocket attack, which targeted the Kandahar international airport in Afghanistan on Monday evening, the press servie of the defence ministry informs.

Bulgarian troops have been deployed to Afghanistan for participation in international missions in the past thirteen years.

NATO has ruled out sending ground troops to fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in Syria, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg told a Swiss newspaper, stressing the need to bolster local forces in the conflict.

NATO has ruled out sending ground troops to fight Islamic State in Syria, the organization's secretary general has said.

"That is not on the agenda of the coalition and the NATO allies. The United States has a limited number of special forces. In the foreground, however, is strengthening local forces. This is not easy, but it's the only option," Jens Stoltenberg said.

A Russian warship passed through Istanbul's Bosphorus en route to the Mediterranean on the morning of Dec. 6, with one soldier seen in footage holding a ground-to-air missile, private broadcaster NTV has reported.

The soldier held the missile on his shoulder in the shooting position during the passing of Russia's Caesar Kunikov warship.

Turkey was the first NATO member state to have a military that conducted joint exercises with the Syrian military. Turkey was the first NATO country to have an air force that conducted joint exercises with the Chinese air force. Two years ago, Turkey selected a Chinese company to build its long-range air and anti-missile defense architecture - a contract which Ankara scrapped on Nov.

Three warships from NATO member states Portugal, Spain and Canada have traversed the Dardanelles toward the Black Sea, accompanied by Turkish coastal guard boats

BALKANS INFLUENCE Montenegro invited to join NATO

NATO has invited Montenegro to become the 29th member state of the organization, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The decision to invite Montenegro was adopted unanimously, Beta is reporting on Wednesday.