Montenegro’s PM confirms readiness to join Nato - despite shove from Trump at alliance summit

Montenegro’s PM confirms readiness to join Nato - despite shove from Trump at alliance summit
By bne IntelliNews May 26, 2017

Montenegro’s Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said on May 25 that the Adriatic country is fully prepared to meet its obligations as the newest Nato member. 

Montenegro is due to formally accede to Nato on June 5 after a lengthy accession process and heavy pressure from Russia, which is strongly opposed to its former ally joining the western military alliance. 

Markovic was accepted at the Nato summit in Brussels as an equal partner and received congratulations on his country’s accession from most participants.

However, Montenegro’s first participation in a Nato event as a member was marked by an incident involving US President Donald Trump. Video footage from the photo op during the tour of Nato’s new headquarters showed Trump shoving Markovic aside in order to stand close to the alliance’s head Jens Stoltenberg.

 

 

As the video became a hit on the Internet, White House’s spokesperson Sean Spicer reportedly told journalists that he had not watched the video but was assuming that Trump was moving to his designated spot. 

Montenegro completed its accession procedure earlier in May when the last remaining Nato member state – Spain – ratified its accession protocol. To end the procedure formally, Nato should wait until June 1, when the ratification protocol of the Netherlands, which was signed earlier this year, will enter into force. After this date, the country will receive formal invitation by the alliance and the procedure will be completed on June 5, which will be the official accession date.

 

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