On the occasion of the second anniversary of Montenegro’s membership in NATO Alliance, the President of the Atlantic Council of Montenegro, Dr. Savo Kentera, said that ” by joining NATO, we left a mark and created an image of stable and democratic country which can only contribute to the strengthening of the whole region’s stability”.

Dr. Kentera believes that citizens will see the benefits after about five years – “When we will see tangible results in the development of infrastructure, substantial reforms of system institutions that are yet to come, strengthening of the rule of law, the fight against organized crime and corruption, etc. All this requires time and we cannot expect visible results overnight, and the period of two years after the membership is truly too short to see great results and progress in these areas,” he said.

However, the greatest gain so far is the fact that Montenegro is sitting at the same table as the most powerful countries in the world and deciding on the burning global issues with an equal voting right, and when it comes to the direct benefits, he mentions that the increase in foreign investments doubled:

“The investors who are interested in investing long-term are coming to this region. They needed security, investment safety, they needed to have protection before the courts and to be sure that corruption is reduced to the minimum. They needed to know that they can exercise their rights in the same manner as in other countries.”

Changes in the type of guests coming to Montenegro are prominent: 

”Today, we are experiencing, in my opinion, the return to the golden age of Montenegrin tourism, the age when season lasted six months and when the majority of our guests were from Western countries. This came as a result of increased security, or tourists’ sense of security, because they are in a country which is a member of NATO”, he said.  

Also, Dr. Kentera reflected on Montenegro-Russia relations and mentioned the attempted terrorism on the day of parliamentary elections in 2016.  He said that ”this dramatic event has now only shifted, i.e. took a different form. This is not reflected in the possibility of them attempting a coup any time soon, but in the fact that they are trying to influence the public opinion in an underhand, sophisticated manner, through various media outlets, by creating a distorted image of the situation in the country”.

When it comes to the question of whether the number of those against the membership reduced in the meantime, Dr. Kentera emphasized that his personal opinion formed during the conversation with those who were against, is that the majority came to terms with the fact that Montenegro became a member of NATO: 

”They accept this fact as something we will have to live with, so let us see how can we benefit from it. It is a similar situation to that in 2006, after the referendum. As time passes, I am sure that the number of those refrained from or against the membership will reduce, because everyone will realize the benefits the membership brings”- he concluded.