Montenegrin, Latvian FMs discuss NATO membership, western Balkans

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics met his visiting Montenegrin counterpart Srdjan Darmanovic on Wednesday, discussing issues including NATO membership and seurity in the western Balkans.

Rinkevics said at a joint news conference that the hard work Montenegro had done to become a NATO member paid off and that no third country had the authority to prevent other countries from joining NATO.

"It is important that security and stability is boosted in the western Balkans. Montenegro is situated in a strategic location and might play a major role for the Alliance's overall security," the Latvian foreign minister said.

He also pointed out that Montenegro's membership in NATO will allow the security improvement of the whole alliance, which is especially important because the situation in the western Balkans has not been showing improvement lately. Montenegro's membership in NATO will create another support point of stability in the Balkans, said Rinkevics.

Darmanovic told reporters that even though Montenegro's armed forces are small, its membership in NATO will enable the alliance to control practically all the northern coast of the Mediterranean. Montenegro's neighbors will also see the hard work paid off with goals achieved, the Montenegrin minister said.

As Montenegro is also an EU candidate, Darmanovic said his visit to Latvia was an opportunity to gain experience as Latvia and other Baltic states have achieved great progress as EU members.

During his visit to Latvia, from Monday to Thursday, the Montenegrin foreign minister is scheduled to meet with Latvian Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis, parliament foreign affairs committee chairman Ojars Eriks Kalnins and Janis Sarts, the head of the Riga-based NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence. Endit