The Chairperson and the members of the Committee on Security and Defence: Mr Mevludin Nuhodžić, Mr Suljo Mustafić, Mr Borislav Banović, Mr Radivoje Nikčević, Mr Luiđ Škrelja and Mr Zoran Miljanić met today with the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovakia Mr František Lipka and the Slovakian experts for security issues: President of the Slovak Atlantic Commission Mr Rastislav Káčer, Deputy Director of the Directorate for Security Policy of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Mr Ljubomir Macko and the diplomat from the Slovakian Mission to NATO, in charge of Western Balkans and Montenegro Mr Martin Hrvolov.

The topic of the meeting was Euro-Atlantic integration within the project “Montenegro on the way to Euro-Atlantic family”.

The project “Montenegro on the way to Euro-Atlantic family” is implemented by the Slovak Atlantic Commission (SAC) in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro.

The aim of this project is to offer to the citizens of Montenegro a great deal of relevant information on all aspects, both positive and negative, of the Euro-Atlantic integration in order to help the citizens of Montenegro make an informed decision on Montenegro’s NATO membership.

It was assessed at the meeting that Montenegro is currently in the stage in which the public debate on this important issue needs to be increased. In support of that, the Chairperson of the Committee reminded that the Info Centre on Euro-Atlantic Integration had been opened, as well as that the decision on renaming the Council for Partnership and Peace into the Council for NATO membership, and that the newly appointed national coordinator on this issue will work together with the permanent team and regularly monitor the Council for NATO membership.

The participants of the meeting pointed out that, since the renewal of independence, Montenegro has defined the full-fledged NATO and EU membership as strategic goals and in accordance with that gradually and consistently started to implement necessary reform processes in order to reach the adequate standards and fulfil the set out criteria, in order to become an equal member of the European and Euro-Atlantic family.

Mentioning that he was well informed on the situation in our country regarding this issue, the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovakia Mr František Lipka explained that it was most important to focus on direct communication with the citizens of Montenegro, as well as to adequately implement the Communication Strategy on Euro-Atlantic Integration.

Finally, the participants of the meeting jointly assessed that strengthening the support of the Montenegrin public to the NATO integration is one of the key priorities of Montenegro in the following period.