NATO Formally Invites Montenegro To Join Alliance, Rankling Russia

Source: CNN

(CNN)NATO has formally invited Montenegro to join the alliance, a move that's spurred threats from Russian officials at loggerheads with NATO over everything from Ukraine to Syria to Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane.

The official invitation, announced Wednesday by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, triggers the start of accession talks, according to the alliance.

While it comes at a time of heightened tensions between NATO and Russia, it didn't happen out of the blue; it's the result of a process that began nine years ago.

"Today, we proudly receive a #NATO membership invitation," said Montenegro's President Milo Djukanovic, according to his government's Twitter feed. "This is a historic day for #Montenegro. The most important (since) the 2006 (independence) referendum."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/02/europe/nato-montenegro-membership-invitation/

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‘NATO Invitation To Montenegro: Provocative, Wrong Moment’

Inviting Montenegro to join the NATO alliance, the west has provoked Russia, because it needs Russia to resolve the conflict in Syria, Jan Oberg of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research told RT.

On Wednesday NATO officially invited Montenegro to become an Alliance member. There have been protests in the country against joining the bloc as NATO bombed the country in 1999. The opposition has demanded a referendum on the membership in the military alliance.

Russia has expressed its concerns about NATO expansion. In September, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called it a ‘provocation.’ The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg said the decision to invite Montenegro to become a full NATO member “is not about Russia” and “is not directed against anyone.”

RT: The NATO chief was asked whether they've taken Russia's concerns into account. This will be another eastward expansion for the Alliance, near Russia's borders. How worried should Moscow be?

Jan Oberg: Maybe not too much, but this is the wrong moment given the situation between NATO and Russia. The West needs Russia in Syria and elsewhere. Secondly this is provocative... I see it as a sign of weakness. There is no particular reason why Montenegro at this point should get this invitation if an alliance of so many countries, with so many weapons seem to be very proud of getting a small more or less corrupt country into NATO without a referendum there, it is really a weak alliance if they feel that they can do some chest beating because of this... Secondly, how will Serbia react? How will the neighbors react?

more...

https://www.rt.com/op-edge/324312-west-russia-nato-montenegro/