14 June 2019 - After joining NATO, Montenegro has a much greater chance of development, and its inhabitants have more opportunities for education and employment, assessed the secretary for political and economic issues at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Montenegro Anna Kasprzak.
According to RTCG, at a gathering organized by the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) within the framework of the project "Let's take a stand for future prospects: the Alliance of Youth and NATO", the Secretary said that the votes of all member states are equally important and that they have equal impact in making foreign policy decisions.
"Montenegro, which has celebrated two years of membership, has an exceptional opportunity for development, and the inhabitants have a much greater number of opportunities provided by NATO. The important fact is that each state has the same vote in the alliance, regardless of whether it is Poland which has 38 million inhabitants or Montenegro, with 620 thousand inhabitants," Kasprzak said.
She said that Poland's accession to NATO had made a significant step towards its development.
"The economic situation in Poland is stabilized after accession; we have a business situation that guarantees that investments in Poland can be safe and give profits to investors." The results are still visible today, and the forecast for this year shows more than four percent of GDP in relation to 2018," Kasprzak said.
She estimated that membership contributed to the reduction of unemployment and made that country more attractive to Europe's citizens.
"Unemployment in Poland in April amounted to 5,6 percent and Poland also had the lowest unemployment rate in relation to all European countries. We provide great opportunities to an increasing number of young people to come and work in our country," said Kasprzak.
Head of the Directorate for NATO, European Union and peacekeeping operations in the Ministry of Defense, Radmila Perović, said that in the past two years the Ministry of Defense has carried out numerous reforms, and the effect of which has been recognized by NATO allies.
"However, these reforms were not only aimed at membership, but also the building of institutions, strengthening the system and accepting the values shared by this society, because among the allies there are the most developed democracies of the world. This is recognized in Montenegro, we have gained reputation and precisely because of that we were received into the Alliance," explained Perovic.
She said that Montenegro's membership, apart from political and military advantages, had broader socio-economic significance and that significant results were recorded that confirm progress in relation to 2017.
Read more about Politics in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.
