The Ministry of foreign Affairs of Russia expressed regret over the “continued in Montenegro anti-Russian hysteria”. A statement of the Agency RIA Novosti reported.
“On the fifth of June in Washington will be a formal completion of procedures for accession of Montenegro to NATO. Paid attention on sounded on the eve of this event a regular stream of disinformation and worn-out propaganda clichés about Russia from the official Podgorica. Continuing in Montenegro anti-Russian hysteria only causes us regret,” – said in the message.
The Russian foreign Ministry said it reserves the right to retaliate. The foreign Ministry responsibility for any consequences laid on the Montenegrin side. On June 5 the Centre for the study of organized crime and corruption (OCCRP) published a report which claimed that the Kremlin tried to interfere in the internal politics of Macedonia. According to the OCCRP staff, April 7, one of the employees of the Ministry of foreign Affairs of the Balkan Republic held a meeting with the Russian Ambassador Oleg Shcherbak. During the meeting the diplomat was allegedly told about the intentions of Moscow to create a “neutral zone in the military sense countries”, which would include Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Serbia.
June 5, Montenegro officially became the 29th member state of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO). The ceremony of taking the country into the military Alliance was held in Washington. It was attended by the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dusko Markovic. In may 2017 the opposition of Montenegro held a survey which showed that 54% of the population do not support joining NATO.