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NATO member states urged to ratify accession agreement for Montenegro

Xinhua, November 21, 2016 Adjust font size:

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday urged member states to ratify accession agreement for Montenegro as soon as possible.

Speaking at the plenary session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Turkey, Stoltenberg said what remains to be done is the ratification of the accession agreement for Montenegro, according to a full text of Stoltenberg's speech, which was posted on NATO's website.

"It has to be done in all 28 parliaments, so I urge those countries who have not yet ratified the accession agreement for Montenegro to do so," Stoltenberg said.

"I really think it is something we should be able to deliver by the (NATO) summit next year, that we have the accession agreement ratified by all parliaments so we can welcome Montenegro as a full member by the summit in 2017," he added.

Foreign Ministers of NATO member states signed the accession treaty for Montenegro in May, marking a historic step in Montenegro's path to the alliance.

Once all NATO allies have ratified the treaty, Montenegro will be invited to accede to the Washington Treaty and become the 29th member of the alliance. Endit