June 03, 2018 - The celebrate the anniversary of Montenegro's full membership in NATO, the Ministry of Defense organized a series of activities for military and diplomatic representatives in Northern Montenegro.
By handing out accession documents to the ceremony in Washington, Montenegro became a full member of NATO on the 5th of June, 2017. At the ceremony, Montenegrin Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović handed over the Accession Protocol to US Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Shannon. The accession process of Montenegro lasted for 11 years. An official invitation to join NATO was sent to Montenegro on December 2nd, 2015. Montenegro's accession benefits the state, stability of the Western Balkans and international peace and security as well. By joining NATO, Montenegro gained long-lasting stability, as well as favorable conditions that benefit future economic prosperity.
To celebrate the one year anniversary of Montenegro's full membership in NATO, Montenegrin Ministry of Defense organized numerous exercises as well as rafting on river Tara for military attachés. At the military training ground at Pirlitor, the General Director of the Directorate for Defense Policy, Mr. Ivica Ivanović, greeted all present parties. He explained the future goals of Montenegro in its role as a dependable ally: “Montenegro will continue to provide full support to regional and international peace and stability, and as a credible ally it will continue to be committed to contributing to the system of collective security.”
The representatives of the defense of the Federal Republic of Germany, Macedonia, Austria, Belgium, Greece, Turkey, Poland, Slovakia, and Japan, defense counsel at the embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Montenegro, the military representative of the Republic of Croatia at the Ministry of Defense of Montenegro and Acting Head of the Office for Defense Cooperation (ODC) of the United States were present at the event.
Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Army of Montenegro, Brigadier General Ilija Daković also took part in the event. He expressed his gratitude to the defense envoys for their contribution to the process of full integration of the Army of Montenegro into NATO structures.
During the first day, the deputies of the defense and representatives of the Ministry of Defense have had the opportunity to see the exercise "Display of the ability for mountain warfare" at the alpine field "Pirlitor" in Žabljak. On that occasion, the 3rd infantry troop of the Infantry Battalion displayed the training level of a unit from the mountain war zone. On this occasion, the Plan of Bilateral Cooperation (PBS) with Poland for 2018 was also signed. On the second day of their visit, the military attachés rafted on the river Tara.
