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Croatia looks forward to NATO membership for Montenegro: PM

Xinhua, July 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and visiting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg discussed regional security and NATO enlargement plans in Zagreb on Thursday.

Stoltenberg said at a press conference after talks with Milanovic, NATO enlargement was one of the key issues. A decision on NATO membership for Montenegro, which has expressed its aspiration since 2006, would be made by the end of this year.

Croatia was interested in seeing that happen, Milanovic said, adding that potential Montenegro's NATO membership was important for Croatia, because it is a neighboring country.

"We are interested in stability in this part of Europe," he said.

Stoltenberg and Milanovic also focused on the Greece issues and believed the country was a strong ally within NATO and also a potential security challenge.

The debt crisis in Greece would probably cause a further decline in gross domestic product (GDP), which would decrease funds for defence, Milanovic said. Enditem