MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Since late September, thousands of opponents of Montenegro's current government have gathered in the streets of the country's capital, Podgorica, to demand that Montenegro stay out of the US-led NATO military bloc and calling for the creation of an interim government and early parliamentary elections.
“I call on [our] European colleagues to treat the issue of NATO expansion by drawing in Montenegro rationally and with restraint… It is obvious that, in this situation, the possible invitation to join the Alliance could cause another round of civil and political confrontation in the country,” Zheleznyak told reporters after a meeting with Igor Damjanovic, the international coordinator of Montenegro’s No to War – No to NATO peace movement.
Zheleznyak cited a recent opinion poll, which revealed that some 85 percent of Montenegrin citizens are in favor of holding a referendum on the country’s NATO membership.
According to the Russian lawmaker, some political forces in Podgorica backed from abroad are actively pushing forward the idea of Montenegro joining the alliance, by using “anti-national, anti-social and undemocratic” methods.
“Recently, there have been repeated calls coming from Podgorica and urging Russia and the European Union to act as international mediators in settling the social and political crisis gripping the country,” Zheleznyak added.
Since the start of the Ukraine conflict last year, Russia has been increasingly concerned over NATO’s growing military presence in Eastern Europe, warning that it could be a threat to regional and global stability.
