The modern state of Montenegro gained independence in June 2006, and the small Balkan country promptly singed up for the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) program in December of that year. Montenegro, militarily weak on its own, seeks to integrate with NATO to bolster their defenses and help share the burden of security with other like-minded states. In December of 2009, Montenegro was invited to join NATO’s Membership Action Plan. Six years later, in 2015, Montenegro was invited to begin accession talks to join NATO; the Accession Protocol was signed by NATO’s foreign ministers on 19 May 2016, and then had to be ratified by all member-states. Finally, on June 5th, 2017, Montenegro officially became a full member of NATO, with all rights and responsibilities included with that title.
There will undoubtedly be a counter-move from Moscow, but when and where remains to be seen. For more information on NATO, check out our previous articles about the history of NATO and NATO’s future with regards to Donald Trump.
