BELGRADE (Sputnik) – Montenegrin President-elect Milo Djukanovic from the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, who won the presidential election last weekend, told Sputnik that he was set to improve the bilateral relations with Russia.
“Montenegrin-Russian relations are marked by centuries of friendship. That is why we have to join our efforts to keep this trend today… As a president I will try to make my contribution to [the improvement of the relations],” Djukanovic said.
The president-elect noted that the relations between the two countries unfortunately worsened amid country’s decision to join NATO.
“And this is all because Montenegro, which regained its independence 12 years ago, with Russian authorities having made large contribution to that, has made a strategic choice to join NATO and the European Union based on national interests. Moscow knew about that right from the beginning. The choice was supported by the majority of the citizens,” Djukanovic said.
Russian-Montenegrin relations have faced a setback as Montenegro joined the extension of the European Union’s sanctions against Russia in January, initially adopted following the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis and Crimea’s decision to rejoin Russia in 2014.
In June 2017, Montenegro became the 29th member of NATO. The country accepted the invitation to join NATO on December 3, 2015.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
