President of Montenegro calls joining NATO a guarantee of eternal existence
President of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic, commenting on the ratification of the protocol on accession to NATO in the country's Parliament, called the decision "historic", reported newspaper Vijesti with a reference to the President’s statement on national state television.
The President, according to the publication, also recalled that in May 2006 Montenegro, having assessed the geographic and geopolitical situation of the country, "restored" its independence. At this point, the position of Montenegro in the international arena, according to the head of the Republic, "has changed very much". Vujanovic compared the vote held on 28 April with the 2006 referendum.
"A historic decision was made in Cetinje," the president also said, explaining that now "Montenegro has received a number of new functions." "But first of all, the country has received a basis for preserving its eternal existence," he said, adding that "through this security system [NATO], the Republic will now have a guarantee of its life. And I think that this is the most valuable aspect of the decision [to ratify the protocol on the accession of Montenegro to the North Atlantic Alliance],” concluded Vujanovic.
The Parliament of Montenegro ratified the protocol on accession to NATO on April 28. This happened despite the boycott of the pro-Russian opposition. In total, 46 deputies supported the decision; the parliament consists of 81 parliamentarians.
The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed regret at the ratification of the treaty.