National coordinator for NATO Dragan Pejanovic is not surprised by the unanimous decision of the US Senate’s Foreign Policy Committee to approve ratification of Montenegro-NATO accession protocol.
“I am not surprised. The thing that we have repeatedly pointed out finally happened… The fact that the decision was made unanimously opens the door for us and a clear direction towards making the same decision in the Senate,” Pejanovic told CdM.
Montenegro now hopes that at least two-thirds of 100 senators will vote as the foreign affairs committee.
“We believe in a positive outcome in the near future. I would not prejudice the time of the decision in the Senate, but it is encouraging that the process is developing as planned. It is less important whether it will be in 10 or 15 days. In any case, I believe it will happen very soon,” said Pejanovic.
Asked whether the unanimous decision of the committee to support Montenegro’s membership in NATO essentially represents a collapse for all the stories that the president-elect Donald Trump would “sacrifice” Montenegrin membership in NATO for the sake of the relations with Russia, Pejanovic said:
“The question whether the old or the new administration would possibly obstruct the signing of the protocol has never been raised in Montenegrin officials’ statements. They have always confirmed optimistic attitude bearing in mind traditionally good and friendly relations between Montenegro and the United States and all the support Montenegro receives in terms of the adoption of high standards in this area,” he said.
