MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia has repeatedly expressed concern over NATO’s growing military presence in Europe, warning that it could be a threat to regional and global stability.
"I cannot see the expansion of NATO as any kind of a guarantee of stability for the Balkans or Central Europe. I believe Europe should be free of military alliances, be in peace, in cooperation and in good partnership," Slavenko Terzic said at a press conference held at International Information Agency Rossiya Segodnya.
Last month, the United States announced that it was prepared to extend an invitation to Montenegro to join NATO in December. The announcement triggered a wave of protests in the country.
"As for the protests in Montenegro, I do not see any foreign interference there. These are internal protests. It is an expression of the social, economic and political discontent of Montenegrin citizens. It seems to me that the reasons for this unrest are internal," Slavenko Terzic said.
It is obvious that the majority of the citizens of Montenegro are against NATO membership, he added.
On October 22, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said he believed Russia was supporting the Montenegrin opposition because it wanted to stop the country’s NATO integration.
Moscow dismissed the claims saying they were unfounded and "quite strange," according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
