WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On December 2, 2015, NATO invited Montenegro to join the military bloc, in its first expansion into Eastern Europe in six years. Podgorica accepted the invitation the following day, which triggered protests in the Balkan nation.
For Montenegro to become a full-fledged alliance member, all 28 NATO countries must ratify the founding treaty to include the new country.
"We do have an openness to additional countries joining NATO," Rhodes stated. "While we have an open-door policy, I could not tell you today that there is any one country after Montenegro that is ready to become a member of NATO."
