June 06, 2018 - The 5th of June marked one year since Montenegro joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and on the first anniversary of this accession, Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dusko Markovic, noted that the country entered a new Euro-Atlantic epoch thanks to which Montenegro is stable, safe and secure nation.
"We gathered in the Montenegrin Old Royal Capital, exactly one year after Montenegro became a full member of NATO, to mark this historic event and our country’s accomplishments in the first year of membership. In Cetinje, where our statehood, identity, and culture was created and preserved for centuries, the Montenegrin Parliament ratified the Washington Treaty on 28 April 2017. Following the ratification of the Protocol on the Accession of Montenegro in just over a year, the signing ceremony of handing over the ratification instruments took place in Washington. That moment marked the entry of our country into the community of the most developed countries of today and the beginning of a new era for Montenegro. The new, Euro-Atlantic epoch means a lasting guarantee of the sovereignty and inviolability of our borders, and thanks to that, Montenegro is a stable, secure and safe country today," said the Prime Minister in Cetinje at the reception he hosted on the occasion of the first anniversary of Montenegro's membership in NATO.
Markovic noted that Montenegro shares the same concern about both global and local security as with 28 current member states, NATO’s partners and friends. He also added that the primary goal is preservation and strengthening of shared democratic values.
"From today on, based on the principles of solidarity as a fundamental value of the Alliance, the security of the Montenegrin sky will be protected by Allies, namely Italy and Greece," the Prime Minister stressed.
In his speech, Prime Minister Markovic also took the opportunity to review the current progress of the country’s economy for which, as he says, officials recorded impressive progress in almost all sectors throughout this years, with a growth rate that is among the greatest not only in the region, but in Europe as well.
"This has contributed to the creation of new jobs and increasing the standard of living of our citizens. During this period, the country improved its reputation on the international financial market and has become of one of the most attractive destinations for tourists and investors. All this indicates that NATO membership has given our country the opportunity to ensure dynamic development and achieve the quality of life of the most developed countries in the European and Euro-Atlantic area," said Prime Minister Dusko Markovic.
Prime Minister Markovic recalled the results Montenegro achieved in the past year through membership in NATO and urged those who opposed the accession to reconsider all of the aspects of the membership.
"It is the right moment to evaluate from this distance whether the forecasts and suspicions about the Montenegrin accession to the Alliance were founded or not. Has Montenegro lost its sovereignty and identity? Are NATO bases established in our cities? Is the cost of membership in the Alliance endangering the sustainability of the state budget? Of course not. In the past year, the Montenegrin citizens have stronger than ever confirmed the European and Euro-Atlantic orientation of the State. I also use this opportunity to invite all the citizens, including those who did not support Montenegro's membership in NATO, to consider all these aspects objectively, and to join our forces to contribute to internal cohesion and overall social progress," the Prime Minister concluded.
