Latvian parliament backs Montenegro's admission to NATO

Latvian lawmakers on Thursday endorsed Montenegro's admission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) by passing a bill on the ratification of the accession protocol, Latvia's public media website lsm.lv reported.

NATO foreign ministers decided to invite Montenegro to start accession talks with the alliance in December 2015, while the accession protocol was inked in May 2016. To complete its ratification, the accession protocol has to be approved by each NATO member country.

Montenegro will become a NATO member after the ratification document is submitted to the U.S. Department of State, which is depositary of the North Atlantic Treaty.

During a meeting with Aleksandar Andrija Pejovic, State Secretary for European Integration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro, last month, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said that the accession protocol's ratification by the Latvian parliament was expected to go smoothly.

The Latvian foreign minister also urged Montenegro to carry through with its reforms and work to ensure greater public support for the country's membership in the alliance both before and after the accession. Enditem