BELGRADE, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Montenegro is ready to take responsibilities within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), visiting NATO deputy secretary general Rose Gottemoeller said in Montenegro on Thursday.
According to the press release of the government, after meeting with Montenegro's Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, prior to the closing ceremony of the four-day 16th international field exercise "Montenegro 2016," Gottemoeller said that the quality of the organization convinced her that "Montenegro proved full readiness and capacity to take responsibility for the realization of complex activities within the NATO alliance."
Djukanovic confirmed that Montenegro makes "stable and dynamical" progress on its path towards EU and NATO integrations.
Montenegro signed the accession protocol with NATO in May and thus concluded negotiations that formally started in December 2015.
This allowed the country to gain an observer status,. The protocol has to be ratified by all NATO members, as well as by Montenegro's own parliament.
Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, who observed the closing ceremony of the field exercise on Thursday together with Gottemoeller, said the event sent a clear message to domestic public about the value of NATO in handling catastrophes.
"This exercise takes place at a moment when Montenegro is just a step away from becoming a NATO member country," Vujanovic said.
The consequence management field exercise "Montenegro 2016" was from October 31 to November 3.
The scenario for the exercise focused on international response to floods and chemical incidents in the surroundings of the municipality of Niksic, while another segment in Danilovgrad focused on removal of unexploded lethal devices that have moved due to flooding.
