Dear Mr. President,

On my behalf and that of all the members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to you and to the Montenegrin people on the invitation to commence accession talks with NATO.

The Allies' decision recognises Montenegro's long-standing commitment to joining NATO.  Your country's membership will make the people of Montenegro safer while strengthening security and prosperity in the Western Balkans. As importantly, this decision will make our Alliance stronger.

As you know, the Assembly has consistently supported Montenegro on its path towards NATO membership, and worked to build support for Montenegro's accession within our national parliaments. In a resolution adopted at its annual session in October in Stavanger, Norway, the Assembly had already called on Allied Foreign Ministers to invite Montenegro to join NATO.

I am delighted our governments had the vision and leadership to follow through on the promise of NATO's open door. I would also like to salute the hard work that the Montenegrin authorities have put into getting your country ready for this historic milestone.  I well know how committed and engaged you have been personally in this effort, and the invitation we extended to you to address the Assembly in Budapest in May was a way for us to pay tribute to your leadership.

I now look forward to Montenegro completing the final preparations for accession promptly. Rest assured that our parliaments will continue to lend their support to the process of accession and ratification, so that we can welcome the Parliament of Montenegro as a full member of our Assembly very soon.

Once again, congratulations and best wishes,

Michael R. Turner