Foreign minister: Montenegro’s NATO accession contributes to Balkans stabilisation

Brussels, May 19 (MTI) – Montenegro signed an accession treaty at the Brussels meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Thursday, and this will greatly contribute to the stability of the Western Balkans, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said.

The last time the Euro-Atlantic community was subject quite so many threats as now was during the cold war, and the best response would be to enlarge NATO, he told a press conference before the meeting.

Locking up would be a strategic mistake because “the more we are, the stronger we are”, Szijjártó said. NATO must offer the outlook of membership to countries that “share our values and want to be members of our community”.

Macedonia and Georgia both deserve the prospect of membership, Szijjártó said, adding that Hungary would urge member states to adopt an action plan for both countries at the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw in July. This would be the “anteroom” for accession, Szijjártó said, noting, however, that the majority of NATO members did not yet support Hungary’s position.

Commenting of Russian objections to Montenegro’s integration, Szijjártó said the move would not constitute a confrontation with Russia. Indeed, stability in the Western Balkans would also be in Moscow’s interest. With Montenegro’s accession, the region — which is vulnerable politically and economically and from the point of view of radical Islam — would be “more resistant” to these challenges, he said.